FEAR
Forfeiture Endangers American Rights Foundation
i
s a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Donations are tax deductible.
20 Sunnyside Suite A-419, Mill Valley, CA 94941


Victim support


Victim Support Materials:
Table of Contents:
The police took my property. What do I have to do to get it back?
What is asset forfeiture?
If I am found not guilty in my criminal case or they drop the charges, won't I get my property back automatically?
What do I do if they say they intend to pursue forfeiture?
Will I need a state or a federal lawyer?
What do I do if I can't afford to hire a lawyer?
What if I don't qualify for court-appointed counsel and can't find an attorney I can afford?
How long does it take and what can I do to speed up the process?
What do I do once I receive notice of forfeiture from the DEA or another federal agency?
What do I do once I am served with a federal civil forfeiture complaint?
What is criminal forfeiture and how does it differ from civil forfeiture?
What are the defenses to forfeiture?
Can I get my property back pending trial?
Should I keep up my mortgage payments and insurance?
How can these procedures be constitutional?
About the authors
Appendix -- Selected federal forfeiture statutes

How can I find a lawyer experienced in forfeiture law?  The FEAR Attorney Directory is one way to comparison shop for forfeiture lawyers.  Unfortunately, we don't have very many attorneys listed here yet, but we're working on it. Please tell your forfeiture lawyer to apply for our attorney directory.

Where can I turn if I can't afford to hire an attorney?  In federal cases, CAFRA authorizes the appointment of counsel for indigent civil forfeiture victims under certain circumstances.  See our Application for Appointment of Counsel page for details on how to ask for court appointed counsel. For those of you who really need legal help but don't quite have the necessary funds, see our page Resources for Legal Help to the Indigent. 

The "Civil Forfeiture Research Pathfinder" contains some good stuff on how to research forfeiture statutes, legislation, cases, articles, etc. as well as some specific reference material that the author found doing this research.