Legal Definitions - administrative forfeiture

Administrative forfeiture is a legal process that allows the government to seize property without going to court. This process is used when the government has probable cause to believe that the property is connected to illegal activity. The government can then forfeit the property and keep it for their own use or sell it and use the proceeds for law enforcement purposes.

For example, if the government suspects that a person is using their car to transport drugs, they can seize the car through administrative forfeiture. The government would then publish a notice of the proposed forfeiture in a newspaper and serve the notice to the owner of the car. If the owner does not file a claim within 30 days, the government can declare the forfeiture of the car.

Another example is if the government suspects that a person is using their bank account to launder money, they can seize the funds in the account through administrative forfeiture. The government would then publish a notice of the proposed forfeiture and serve the notice to the account holder. If the account holder does not file a claim within 30 days, the government can declare the forfeiture of the funds.

These examples illustrate how administrative forfeiture works. The government can seize property without going to court if they have probable cause to believe that the property is connected to illegal activity. The government then gives notice to the owner of the property and if the owner does not file a claim within 30 days, the government can declare the forfeiture of the property.