The long arm of the federal government can seize assets in both civil and criminal cases, as evidenced by a forfeiture action filed recently against a Milwaukee man by the government, claiming all the cars and “bling” purchased by a convicted pimp were fair game, as they were all bought from proceeds of his crimes.
The Wisconsin pimp made a YouTube video where he displayed his large, expensive custom jewelry, Bentley GT and $100,000 cash. But that was before he was sentenced to a 30-year jail term after his conviction for sex trafficking.
He tried in January to recover his ill-gotten assets, filing a claim for the cash, car and jewelry that was seized during his 2011 arrest. His girlfriend claimed the car and a watch the following day. Child Support Services of Milwaukee County were right in line for the $94,600 cash.
Taken together, the seized property is worth more than $200,000, and not all of it was even from his successful pimp operation. Although he was never convicted of this crime, much of the money came from reselling stolen nutrition supplements.
In April, the feds filed a civil forfeiture action against his property, on the grounds that it all was purchased with proceeds of the ill-gotten criminal acts of the convicted pimp. They petitioned the court to declare that all be deemed “condemned and forfeited” to the government.
There may not be much defense that the convict can make regarding his fancy car, jewelry and cash, but fortunately civil cases do allow some assets to remain after a bankruptcy. If you are going through a series of financial challenges and facing auto repossession or other asset forfeitures, all is not necessarily lost. A Wisconsin bankruptcy attorney can help you reorganize your debt and get back on solid financial ground again.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Feds, others, seek to keep pimp’s Bentley, cash and jewelry” Bruce Vielmetti, Apr. 11, 2014
