FBI FACES MULTIPLE LAWSUITS ON VALUABLES FOUND IN BEVERLY HILL SAFE DEPOSIT

The FBI is trying to confiscate $86 million in cash & millions of dollars more in jewelry and other valuables that agents found in 369 safe deposit boxes. The box holders and their lawyers say the ploy is a brazen abuse of forfeiture laws. 

The money and goods are among the contents of about 800 safe deposit boxes the FBI seized in late March during a five-day raid of the U.S. Private Vaults store in an Olympic Boulevard strip mall known for its kosher vegan Thai restaurant.

Cops do this all the time to normal people. But it happens to people in Beverly Hills and now it’s an overreach? Whatever it takes, I guess. Civil forfeiture is theft.

So far, 11 suits have been filed by box holders seeking the return of their property and court orders declaring the seizures unconstitutional. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, denied the government was misusing its powers by trying to forfeit box holders’ belongings. “We have some basis to believe that the items are related to criminal activity,” he said.