In the nearly 25 years since the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 authorised federal officials to implement a national asset forfeiture program, asset forfeiture has become one of the most powerful tools for targeting criminals, including drug dealers and white collar criminals, who prey on the vulnerable for financial gain. Forfeiture statutes are now prevalent throughout the federal legal code and their use, along with other important anti-crime measures, has had a significant impact on crime. One of the most important provisions of asset forfeiture is the authorisation to share federal forfeiture proceeds with co-operating state and local law enforcement agencies. The Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program serves not only to deter crime but also to provide valuable additional resources to state and local law enforcement agencies. This book examines the U.S. Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Policy Manual and Guide to Equitable Sharing Manual, with a focus on assisting state and local law enforcement agencies participating in the program by clarifying the directives they must follow to obtain and use equitably shared funds.

Asset Forfeiture Law in the United States - Second Edition serves as both a primer on forfeiture law for the newcomer to this area, as well as a handy resource for anyone needing a comprehensive discussion of any of the recurring and evolving forfeiture issues that arise daily in federal practice. The author is one of the federal government's leading experts on asset forfeiture law. As a federal prosecutor, he has been litigating asset forfeiture cases since the late 1980's, was a Deputy Chief of the Justice Department’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section for many years, and is now the Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore, MD. Asset Forfeiture Law in the United States - Second Edition is a completely revised and up-to-date treatise that addresses important changes and significant developments in civil and criminal forfeiture law. Every chapter has been rewritten as a result of the explosive growth in this area of law and practice. This comprehensive one-volume resource examines and explores the outpouring of new case law stemming from federal law enforcement agencies that include the FBI, DEA, IRS and Homeland Security. The Second Edition continues to lead the practitioner, prosecutor, judge and policy maker through the labyrinth of statues, rules and cases that govern this dynamic area of the law. Many countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as Australia and the Americas, have enacted asset forfeiture statutes modeled on U.S. law, making the cases interpreting the statutes relevant beyond the borders of the United States.