O FBI violou os direitos constitucionais dos cidadãos quando apreendeu o conteúdo de centenas de cofres durante uma operação em 2021 a uma empresa de Beverly Hills suspeita de lavagem de dinheiro, decidiu um tribunal federal de apelações na semana passada.
“Esta foi uma vitória retumbante, não apenas para nossos clientes, mas para centenas de pessoas que ficaram presas em um pesadelo durante anos por causa do que o FBI fez”, disse o advogado sênior do Instituto de Justiça, Rob Frommer, que representou vários demandantes em o caso, disse à Fox News.
O Tribunal de Apelações do 9º Circuito dos EUA concluiu que a agência violou os direitos da Quarta Emenda dos detentores de cofres privados dos EUA contra buscas e apreensões injustificadas, abrindo e catalogando o conteúdo de 1.400 cofres sem mandados criminais individuais para cada um.
A decisão de 23 de janeiro reverteu uma decisão de um tribunal inferior de 2022 que apoiava o FBI e exige que as autoridades federais destruam quaisquer registros de inventário das centenas de detentores de caixas não acusados de nenhum crime.
Os agentes retiraram cerca de US$ 86 milhões em dinheiro das caixas na operação de março de 2021, bem como um tesouro de joias, barras de ouro, moedas, prata e outros objetos de valor.
Em maio daquele ano, o FBI “iniciou um processo administrativo de confisco” contra um número não especificado de caixas, de acordo com documentos judiciais apresentados pelo governo.
O confisco de bens civis é o processo pelo qual o governo apreende dinheiro ou outros bens que se acredita estarem ligados a um crime, mesmo que o proprietário não seja acusado de um crime.
A invasão do FBI aos cofres privados dos EUA fez parte da investigação sobre a empresa, que acabou fechando e se declarando culpada de conspiração para lavagem de dinheiro de drogas.
O governo argumentou perante o 9º Circuito que o seu mandado autorizava o FBI a apreender as caixas de depósito e inventariar o seu conteúdo de acordo com a política padronizada.
But unsealed court documents showed that neither the FBI nor the US Attorney’s Office told the judge in its warrant request that the agents planned to seize the contents of each box containing at least $5,000 in cash or belongings.
The warrant only autorized authorities to seize business computers, currency counters and surveillance equipment.
Judge also allowed them to seize vaults and keys, but specifically wrote that agents should only “inspect the contents of the boxes in an effort to identify the owners… so they can reclaim their belongings,” and that the warrant “does not authorize a criminal search or seizure of the contents of the boxes.”
In its decision, the 9th Circuit panel wrote that the government had gone beyond the scope of its warrant and violated its own rules by conducting an inventory of properties which were not subject to a warrant.
9th Circuit Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. wrote that it was “particularly concerning” that the government could not explain the limitations to these kinds of inventory searches and questioned how they differed from “unlimited searches of an individual’s personal belongings,” as seen in colonial America.
Jeni Pearsons, one of the plaintiffs in the class action suit, said the victory was “incredibly gratifying”.
“Hearing these judges just tear them apart and talk about the situation, this extraordinary overreach, and a real civil rights violation… was very, very gratifying,” she told Fox News.
Pearsons and her husband Michael Storc had $20,000 in silver and $2,000 in cash seized from their rented vault during the operation.
She joined the Institute for Justice to fight for her property and ended up winning, but said she found out that the FBI had lost the $2,000 when she went to retrieve it.
“I think the FBI is monitoring this case,” Pearsons said. “And I hope, if they continue with civil forfeiture proceedings, that they create a framework for it to be transparent and not just a free-for-all, which is what it seems like.”
“It’s a free-for-all within a ridiculous defense,” she added Pearsons.
But Frommer said that while this decision has helped “to expose the government’s attempt to steal things from innocent people,” he doesn’t think it will stop civil forfeiture abuse.
“I think this decision alone is important, but it won’t stop the FBI’s eager hand,” he told Fox News. “Yes, they took a slap on the hand just now. But unless there are real consequences, they will see this as just a rehearsal for next time.”
The FBI declined to comment on the decision.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, declined to comment on the decision, but said the office was “prepared to destroy the records of the inventory search, which is the remedy sought by the plaintifs.
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