Tag: cbp cash seizure

Notice of Seizure and Intent to Forfeit (CAFRA) at the Port of Detroit

Structured Cash Seized by CBP Detroit

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on

Last week, CBP posted another round of notices of seizure and intents to forfeit on their website, forfeiture.gov. Among the many thousands of items seized and subject to forfeiture is $19,300, in cash seized at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan, on August 23, 2016.

Like all notices on forfeiture.gov, it is sparse on detail; but, we do know that it was seized for both a failure to report and unlawful cash structuring, which likely means that more than 1 person was traveling with the money; or that CBP took two family members or traveling companions, pulled them aside, found that each was traveling with slightly less than $10,000, and grouped the amounts together and is accusing one person of giving the money to another so as to avoid filing the currency transaction report on Form FinCen105.

PUBLICATION/POSTING START: October 14, 2016
PUBLICATION/POSTING END: November 13, 2016
DEADLINE TO FILE A CLAIM: December 13, 2016

DETROIT, MI

2016380700111101-001-0000, Seized on 08/23/2016; At the port of DETROIT, MI; U.S. CURRENCY RETAINED; 247; EA; Valued at $19,300.00; For violation of  31USC5316, 31USC5317, 31USC5324, 31CFR1010.340(A)

The reason the notice of seizure was published on the website is because either the recipient decided to abandon the money, did not receive the personal CAFRA notice of seizure letter, or messed up the petition (unlikely in the span of 7 weeks since the seizure occurred). Don’t make that same mistake, and hire a customs lawyer for any cash, money, or monetary instrument seizure you experienced at the hands of U.S. Customs & Border Protection.

Have you had structured cash seized by CBP Detroit?

If you had structured cash seized by CBP Detroit, you can learn more about the process from our trusted customs money seizure legal guide and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

Detroit Airport Currency Report Sign

Inaccurate Cash Report to CBP in Dulles

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on

Recently, CBP Dulles seized almost $47,000 from a man leaving the United States for Ghana at Dulles airport. The reason for seizure? An inaccurate cash report to CBP.

In other words, someone lied about how much cash they had when asked by Customs. His inaccurate cash report was way off. He was off by $37,000! Even though here he was really off, giving an inaccurate cash report to CBP in any amount can result in a seizure for failure to report. Even if it’s just a $1.

That’s why when you travel near or around the $10,000 mark, you’ve got to be sure that you carefully count everything and know how much you are transporting and how much those you are traveling with are also transporting (so you don’t get caught in a currency structuring violation).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO), at Washington Dulles International Airport seized $46,290 on Saturday from a Ghanaian man for violating federal currency reporting regulations.

A man was boarding a flight to Ghana and was selected for questioning by CBP officers who were conducting an outbound enforcement operation on an international flight. The man reported $10,000, however; a total of $46,290 was discovered on his person and in his luggage. CBP officers seized the $46,290, returned $1,290 in humanitarian relief, and advised him how to petition for the return of the rest of the currency.

“Travelers who refuse to comply with federal currency reporting requirements run the risk of having their currency seized, and may potentially face criminal charges,” said Wayne Biondi, CBP Area Port Director for the Port of Washington Dulles. “The traveler was given the opportunity to truthfully report his currency. The easiest way to hold on to your money is to report it.”

There is no limit to how much currency travelers can import or export; however federal law requires travelers to report to CBP amounts exceeding $10,000 in U.S. dollars or equivalent foreign currency.

Did you make an inaccurate cash report to CBP?

If you made an inaccurate cash report to CBP at Dulles or had money seized at the airport, you can learn more from our trusted legal guide to a customs money seizure and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

CBP checkpoint at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel border crossing, with vehicles in the foreground.

Over $350k per day in cash seized by CBP in 2015

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on

CBP tweeted the other day about cash seized by CBP in 2015, and drug seizures. On “a typical day,” CPP seized $356,396 in cash nationwide; based on the number for the Detroit field office, $27,581 was seized “on a typical day” in Detroit.

Because CBP Detroit was #2 in the nation for currency seizures based on total amount of seizures (totaling $10M), a large part of that national average is due to the efforts of CBP Officers at the ports in the Detroit Field Office, most especially the officers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

The cash seizures are from you run-of-the-mill everyday traveler who are bringing money to the United States for tuition, medical treatment, and to establish a new life; other times, the cash seizures are part of a cash smuggling operation bringing the money into or out of the United States to further the illicit narcotics trade across the borders.

In Detroit, our experience is most of these cases are run-of-the-mill travelers coming into the United States with legitimate money that’s intended to be used for legitimate sources. With our experience and good documentation, we are help to get cash back from Customs after seizure.

The lesson? Prevent seizure of cash by reporting all currency, fully, accurately, and completely to U.S. Customs & Border Protection before they have a chance to stop and question you about it. Don’t be like the poor folks who had their cash seized by CBP in 2015, be sure to report your money. Remember, the duty it yours to report the transportation of more than $10,000 into or out of the country before you are ever asked to make a report!