Some of you may remember this thread from last November, about the seizure of some coins. Well, the end of June is near, and here's an update.
If there was a crime, someone should have been charged at some point in the past seven months. If there was no crime, the government should return the money. The problem is, that's no way to fight a drug war, and we'll never get rid of this kind of asset forfeiture abuse without getting rid of drug prohibition.
So we have punishment of a crime without the need for any criminal trial. Who needs a big messy trial when there is property to be seized?The Justice Department had decided that the coins, many of which bear the familiar symbol of Lady Liberty and the phrase "TRUST IN GOD," were being illegally marketed as government-sanctioned currency, according to the sworn affidavit of an FBI agent.
The creator of the coins, Bernard von NotHaus, who lives in Miami, claims that the federal government is trying to shut down production of his liberty dollars, as the coins are called, because of the competition they pose to the greenback. In recent years, his precious metal coins have outperformed the dollar, whose value has plunged in relation to gold.
The raids in November were the result of a two-year undercover investigation of Mr. Von NotHaus and how he sold liberty dollars. The Justice Department has not followed up with any criminal charges against Mr. Von NotHaus or the regional distributors of his coins.
If there was a crime, someone should have been charged at some point in the past seven months. If there was no crime, the government should return the money. The problem is, that's no way to fight a drug war, and we'll never get rid of this kind of asset forfeiture abuse without getting rid of drug prohibition.