A Lancaster County judge will begin hearing arguments Tuesday to determine whether state prosecutors can keep two houses, at least $162,000 in cash, five cars and thousands of dollars in car parts, tools and gift cards.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office contends the cash is drug money. As for the property, the state says drug money paid for it; therefore, all of it is subject to civil forfeiture – the process by which the government seizes property it suspects is tied to illegal activity.
Forfeiture proceeds are used to fund law enforcement, and the process is subject to abuse, in part because authorities don’t need a criminal conviction to proceed.
Taken together, the half-million or so dollars at stake makes this case among the largest in county history, based on a review of LNP | LancasterOnline archives and court records. Far more typical are cases involving significantly smaller amounts, generally
