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Judge Orders $1 Million Returned to Exotic Dancer

specklebang

specklebang

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Good. ****ing cops are the worst thieves of all. OTOH, driving around with cash is kind of stupid.
 
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sawyerloggingon said:
I knew an exotic dancer years ago that was putting herself through college, she's a lawyer now.
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I know "someone" who has a daughter that worked as an exotic dancer last year on weekends while attending a top university on full scholarship and socked away bunch of money by doing. Unlike many college students who come out of college with huge debts, she plans on graduating with a generous bank account. She saves it more than spends it, although is going to spend a couple weeks with friends in the Virgin Islands - and on her $$.

Why wife's best friend put herself thru law school working escort service, but that is a different matter.

The seizure crap needs to stop. I hope Congress outlaws it somehow. It is mostly outright theft by the police in my opinion.
 
sawyerloggingon

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joko104 said:
I know "someone" who has a daughter that worked as an exotic dancer last year on weekends while attending a top university on full scholarship and socked away bunch of money by doing. Unlike many college students who come out of college with huge debts, she plans on graduating with a generous bank account. She saves it more than spends it, although is going to spend a couple weeks with friends in the Virgin Islands - and on her $$.

Why wife's best friend put herself thru law school working escort service, but that is a different matter.

The seizure crap needs to stop. I hope Congress outlaws it somehow. It is mostly outright theft by the police in my opinion.
Click to expand...

The lady I knew was a friend of my wifes, she was very intelligent and ruthless and knew how to get what she wanted. Perfect lawyer material.
 
Ikari

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sawyerloggingon said:
I knew an exotic dancer years ago that was putting herself through college, she's a lawyer now.
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You hear of a lot of strippers who are "putting themselves through college".
 
Thoreau72

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Wow, great story! :2razz:

It is always good to read about a court actually delivering justice. Good for the judge!
 
radcen

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jamesrage said:
Having cash and even a ****load of cash should not be grounds for arrest or confiscation.Luckily the judge sided with her and didn't allow the police to steal her money.
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Questions I would like to ask the officer if I were the judge...

- What, exactly, did you suspect when you asked permission to search the car?
- Excepting the large amount of cash, and considering that you found no other evidence suggesting drugs, what led you to believe that the money was drug money?

Changing direction:

While people do have the right to carry large amounts of cash, and shouldn't be harassed for doing so, it's still not a wise thing to do.
 
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radcen said:
Questions I would like to ask the officer if I were the judge...

- What, exactly, did you suspect when you asked permission to search the car?
- Excepting the large amount of cash, and considering that you found no other evidence suggesting drugs, what led you to believe that the money was drug money?

Changing direction:

While people do have the right to carry large amounts of cash, and shouldn't be harassed for doing so, it's still not a wise thing to do.
Click to expand...

Sometimes there is no alternative. For example, traveling to buy a costly car on a weekend. I've done that a few times and always am nervous going thru the airport with a large amount of cash in a bag. They also could seize it claiming whatever. Fortunately never happened. If driving, the vehicle I use has a B-rated small safe bolted to the truck floor. Those are significantly more stout than the crap Sentry safes, though not super stout. Still, it would leave no doubt it "wasn't in plan view" nor could falsely claim I consented to that aspect of the search. If I don't do the combination, a roadside officer isn't getting it open. I also will put handguns in it since every jurisdiction may have different laws.

I've posted in the past of a time we were held up for 3 hours at an immigration checkpoint with one of the most difficult to open safes there is that I bought used and did not have the combination. It was basically a 3 foot across 4,000 pound cylinder. A true pro safecracker could get it open (how I ultimately had it done), but no one else is and they are hell to even try to torch open because their is a highly reactive middle liner of it's walls. Finally, they just let us go.

It seems only rational if you are carrying a million dollars you'd do SOMETHING to secure it. Decent mini B-rated) burglary safes cost all of maybe $300. It's hard to just snatch-and-grab one even if not bolted down - though should be.

The seizure stuff needs to stop - and I blame the supreme court for this in ruling the burden shifts to the person the money is taken from. I think the Constitution says government can't just seize people's property without first due process. And it is GREAT the court made them pay INTEREST. Should have to pay any loses.
 
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Seizures are so bad that a in few cities if some officers stop someone who looks like they don't have money to legally fight with, they'll literally just take whatever money the person has in her purse or his wallet. Since it's not worth suing for $20, $50 or $200, there is nothing the person can do about it so some officers figure they can just take any money they want to.
 
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sawyerloggingon said:
One of those dollars is MINE!
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Wow, I bet those gals were really hot for you! Did you spend the WHOLE dollar in just one night, or spread it across a week or two?
 
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sawyerloggingon said:
The lady I knew was a friend of my wifes, she was very intelligent and ruthless and knew how to get what she wanted. Perfect lawyer material.
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That is exactly how my wife's lawyer-friend is. I call her "the bitch"... but in an endearing way. :)
 
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clownboy

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Returned with interest, that's the first time I've seen that. And of course it should have been returned.

However, we can see why there was a question about the money to begin with. C'mon, really, how rare is it that million dollar deals are in cash and transported by rental car from one state to another, where the deal isn't something illegal? Not only is it not the safest or most secure a way to move the cash, but anyone with a legitimate stack of cash in the bank could have just arranged a withdrawl where she was going rather than transporting in the first place. And then to package the money the way she did further sends up red flags pointing to an illegal operation.

Finally, to cap it off, if this was mattress cash (stuff that the IRS has never seen and she's squirreled away from her job), it's likely to have all sorts of drug scent on it.

It's fully understandable why the cops seized the money.
 
radcen

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clownboy said:
Returned with interest, that's the first time I've seen that. And of course it should have been returned.

However, we can see why there was a question about the money to begin with. C'mon, really, how rare is it that million dollar deals are in cash and transported by rental car from one state to another, where the deal isn't something illegal? Not only is it not the safest or most secure a way to move the cash, but anyone with a legitimate stack of cash in the bank could have just arranged a withdrawl where she was going rather than transporting in the first place. And then to package the money the way she did further sends up red flags pointing to an illegal operation.

Finally, to cap it off, if this was mattress cash (stuff that the IRS has never seen and she's squirreled away from her job), it's likely to have all sorts of drug scent on it.

It's fully understandable why the cops seized the money.
Click to expand...

Yes and no.

Almost ALL money has drug scent/residue.

It is rare for that amount to be transported, but that in and of itself is not enough for probable cause, and they found no other evidence suggesting drug activity.

It probably is mattress money, and the IRS point is a good one... which made me wonder how they expected to buy a legal above-board business with cash and still escape scrutiny.

Transporting this much cash was indeed dumb, but if you're going to do so then of course you're going to hide it as much as possible.

If seizures were rare they could claim legitimate concern. No, they're not rare, they're common practice where a "large" amount of money is the only trigger, and this has all the markings of insidious standard operating procedure.

I like the "with interest" aspect, too.
 
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How exactly does it sound like someone was transporting drug money? As someone else pointed out, almost all cash has trace amounts of drugs on them. And other than that, which the cops discovered only after they siezed the cash if I'm remembering the story correctly, the cops had no evidence to link the cash to any illegal activity. I'm glad she got the cash back with interest. They should have to pay her legal bills as well for this case.
 
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