Thank you for speaking about this case, Steve! We look forward to continuing the fight to end Wayne County’s unconstitutional vehicle forfeiture racket once and for all.
The BIGGEST issue that I see, after the wrongdoing, is that ALL the Judiciary, Prosecutorial and Law Enforcement officials that are involved in these cases, are NEVER held to account for their actions. They know they'll get by with it 9 times out of 10 and never spend a night in jail. It's SICKENING!!
There was 1 judge who took the qualified immunity of bad cops. And eh punished accordingly. The DA and cops PROVEN to be lying in court (some even admitted in court) and at the same time, never gave up on those lies. That judge was forced into early retirement.
Nobody in the judicial system is good. From top to bottom they are all corrupt. This is why firing and charging singular cops does nothing to change the way we are treated. They just hire the next dummy and train him to be a tyrant. It’s what they want. Until we get in there and change the way the DA, prosecutors and Judges uphold the law, none of this is going to change. Civil asset forfeiture, no-knock warrants, illegal traffic stops… all of this bs is done to us and the courts never punish cops for doing it to innocent people. We have our work cut out for us if we want to change this stuff.
To the cops it's a cover up .. To the lawyers it's a game ... To the news it's a story... Butl peoples lives are turned upside down by these criminals with badges. They need to start going to prison for their actions.
If you think about it, cops are paid way too little to do what they do and go through on their jobd. Plus how they are all treated and scrutinized for their work which one can only care so much about a job where your underpaid, overworked and have to risk everything everyday.. the ptsd nobody sees.. so I understand police agencies trying to get a little extra when they can but doing it from the public who are just as undrpaid is not right.. even though if they see it as like a mob style payment.. meanwhile all these brick heads are screaming to defund the police.. what do you think will happen when they make even less money? Like teachers, keep lowering their pay then youll have less of them and the ones you do have will be worth a fart on a taco.. army vets get to go do the same shit as the police except their time is over when they get back able to retire or serve their expected time of 4,8,12 or 20 years then get that check to live with the ptsd but theyre respected more than the police but in my opinion the police are needed more than any grunt is for some bullshit war the government is sending them on so those greedy fuckers can get a little extra for themselves … its all about money and greed will take over most people. Ive seen people do some off handed shit just for them to get the extra 25¢ an hour.. just saying.. yes there are some bad cops out there but theres a way to stop there being so many of them and have nicer more helpful cops around without giving up our rights..
The Supreme Court needs to correct itself and end Civil Asset Forfeiture and call it what it is: Robbery under the color of authority without due process that circumvents the presumption of innocence that we all have a right to....And two other things: 1) A police force should be absolutely liable for the actions and activities of their employees while at work and 2) Those employees should also be liable personally for those transgressions....
Sounds like organizing victims and anyone in support to take appropriate actions, up to demanding these crooked politicians to change behavior or vacate their positions. If they don’t listen go into each public office and order them out. Everyone record and those who can broadcast live do so and ask for anyone available to show up, show up. You can’t retreat and be afraid of arrest of retaliatory force. In doing this you cannot use violence back. Let them continue to show their true colors. More and more good people will join your cause until, these out of line and a touch employees, will either do their job in the best interest of their community members or they should be taken and responded to as the evil and insane with disregard, disrespect, and degradation they have made abundantly clear their actions communicate to their bosses and community members. Effective revolutions exist and transform evil only with moral boundaries, courage, steadfastness, sacrifice, solidarity, continued resistance, and absolute persistence of a goal to ensure the children of this have absolute freedom and security from bullies and psychopaths that live in their minds reality without regard to you and I. Remind them who they work for and easily they can be replaced. Chop that peristalsis their ego as put them on, one hack at a time.
@@scottst1112 lol, are you prepaired to utilize the 2nd amendment? It wont happen by complaining on utube. They dont pay attention to keyboard warriors, bud.
Time to set a new precedent: File a lawsuit against the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, seeking a permanent injunction against their ability to press criminal charges against people.
The LEs are the ones seizing properties not the prosecutors office although they Do assist them. National attention should be brought to this prosecutor for such blatant conduct.
@@imbalancedstatus8824 Well, it would have to go through auction so some money would have to be spent. Classic stunt though, would be to advertise the auction in a place where no one sees it so only 1 or 2 people show up.
Years ago, my exwife and her sister were selling coke, and people were dying, other crimes were being committed, (racketeering, securities fraud, prostitution, drug dealing, robbery, stealing from the elderly, assaults, rape)etc, and at the center of it was my ex-sister-in-law, and ex-wife. I was so harrassed by LEO, whom cannot comprehend, that the drug don, was a woman. Eventually, I left the state, and my ex-wife still tried to have my out-of-state swatted. Now, jokes on us, the woman now works with law enforcement, and the other one now is a drug abuse counselor.
@@imbalancedstatus8824 That's a key difference they 'see it as' a right. Someone will eventually get tired of being stolen from, and teach them about a special amendment that comes after the first. Then they'll use that 'tragedy' to further more bogus BS
They can confiscate and prosecute. They just need evidence to win if they're facing an honest judge. I expect even some of the dishonest ones want at least some evidence.
This isn't even 1A, this is Due Process! You know what would disrupt organized crime better? Investigating, prosecuting, convicting, and jailing criminals.
My wife got a speeding ticket in Eau Claire, Wisconsin by a cop who was tailgating her. I was following them at the same speed and know 100% she was not speeding so we decided to fight the ticket. Come the day of the traffic hearing, we found out that the cop coincidentally rescheduled the hearing and didn't show up. Hmmm...maybe because he knew he was lying 🤥
WI laweforcement pulled me over and slammed my door on my arm injuring me he was aggressive violent careless and pcycho, cops suck and continue to rob injure and bully law abiding citizens
@@beepbop6697 The worst case is what happened to that soldier. They changed his court date and never notified him, then they showed up in military gear at night and shot his wife, son, and friend. The case against him was dismissed.
For those wondering, a skid steer is also known as a skip loader; its a small tractor that is transported on a trailer, so in order for a person to take a skid steer, their vehicle would need a ball hitch, something not usually found on a Camero.
A skid steer would break the suspension of a Camaro. Plus, it wouldn't fit in the hatch anyways. Lmao I'm wondering if they confused a skid steer with a pallet jack. That would be way more feasible. The premise of what started this whole case is absurd.
Every time I hear about CAF, I imagine a fantasy scenario where a fed up judge has the bailiffs seize the contents of the prosecutor's wallet and then their car under the same rule, because hey, cars and money are related to crime all the time and they're arguing that it's not a violation of due process so they must be okay with it.
IJ standing up for the little guy again...love them. The day of those who commit highway robbery under the veil of law enforcement is coming. I would hope that egregious cases like this would result in corruption charges.
They have not stood up for one guy who got raided by the FBI and took $20k of his equipment and still not heard back from them after months, and neither from IJ
"The day of those who commit highway robbery under the veil of law enforcement is coming." Bruh, it's already here! Federal agents seized a whole money transport truck because 'some of the money might've come from a legal marijuana dispensary and the truck left California, so the money is now illegal'. They seized ALL of the money in that armored truck. *All of it.* Cops ARE committing highway robbery, and they're using 'Civil Asset Forfeiture' to do it.
Civil asset forfeiture is just a way for the government to steal. When they charge you for a crime and send you to prison, that is your punishment. Not to mention all these cops seizing assets from law abiding citizens.
For anyone who has observed, been threatened, or harmed by CORRUPT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, file a complaint with the NSA(National Security Agency), ask for a investigation under the RICO ACT(The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations)...,The government cannot break the law, to make the law...File a complaint, or live as a slave...Lawsuits don't stop government corruption, RICO ACT prison time does...Contacting the right people changes everything...
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” ― Frédéric Bastiat
So the Bar Association does nothing against these guys? Sure seems to me conduct that reflects poorly on the profession. What happened to this self-policing I've heard about for years? Seems to me the Bar is functioning more like a guild.
Someone brought this up about a different country but I assume it's the same in the states. Cost-benefit analysis. if I disbar someone who's doing 50k worth of work with 5k worth of risk, I'm not making it worth while. the legal drama Bull actually did a bit of this, different careers are worth different prices when dying or other crimes. They need something high profile and, worst of all, costly to make disbarment worthwhile.
There was 1 judge who took the qualified immunity of bad cops. And eh punished accordingly. The DA and cops PROVEN to be lying in court (some even admitted in court) and at the same time, never gave up on those lies. That judge was forced into early retirement.
Do you have some evidence that the bar is offended by this behavior? What bar association in America has taken a stand against civil forfeiture or qualified immunity?
The Wayne County Prosecutor needs to be removed from office, disbarred, then subjected to KARMA. I hope this guy wins. That old Camaro was probably worth quite a bit now. Want to hear those stories Steve. Thanks!
I've often thought that bar associations could become our last hope for justice. Prosecutors show wide disparity in what laws they enforce and against whom. They fail to recuse themselves when complaints are made against police with whom they work daily. These are clear ethical problems that the bar fails to address.
While they attack him Criminally Sue the DA the Judge and Clerk of Court every cop who has participated civilly for theft of Property go after their bonds and pensions.
Nah, execution for abuse of power and failure to discharge their appointed duty in good faith to the public. See how many step out of line with that weight of easily passable terms.
Yea, these prosecutors throw charges around like it’s candy and they affect peoples lives. They do it like it’s nothing more than a game. “Just charge him with felony robbery”. Completely baseless and needs to be punished. At a minimum they need to be fired and disbarred. Idk how the bar association lets them get away with this nonsense anyways.
How is not a conflict of interest that money police collect (ticket fines & CAF) goes to the police. All fines and money police collect should be sent to a charity. This would end CAF and speed traps because they wouldn't be getting the money for their own budgets.
In Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, the new district attorney is tasked with cleaning up after defeating her opponent. It’s been over a year now, and she still is mopping up after this clown. He did some similar type things, but in his case he was trying to put people in jail for the rest of their life or death by lethal injection. Remember they were all lawyers first. Always follow the money it’s a dirty business.
@@sinsley1 a Use a search engine for the Tribune Review search for Ezra Grant. The former district attorney, John Peck filed 11 charges against this man. Nine of them were attempted homicide, three charges each regarding three undercover police officers . There was one charge of possessing a weapon and one charge I don’t remember. Peck used various schemes to keep this man in jail for two years and not bring him to trial. The average cost of incarceration in Pennsylvania is $50,000 a year. So it cost the taxpayers $100,000 to keep this man in jail because the trumped up charges lead to, no bail. Also search for the 26 page letter that Judge Krieger sent to DA Peck, castigating him for not bringing people to trial in a timely manner, consistent with the law. The defense lawyer, called no witnesses, the defendant did not testify. The only witness was a jail house snitch, trying to get a better deal for himself. The cops believed the snitch, the DA believed in the snitch, but the jury did not, and found this man not guilty of every charge in three hours. Google Judge Krieger‘s letter and read about some of the other cases. I follow this kind of stuff closely now because of an incident I had with three dirty, Pennsylvania state troopers, one morning and one of them trooper Hood sent me a citation through the mail for disorderly, conduct and fighting with first responders. He committed a fourth amendment violation. At the hearing I requested, I was found not guilty in five minutes and a few seconds. The charge of disorderly conduct and fighting with first responders never came out of their mouth when they presented their case. I never paid a lot of attention to what went on in our county until that incident with the dirty cops the other two did not stop him so they’re just as bad as him. I am not saying that any of these people charged with a crime are pillars of society, but I can assure you that the former DA probably belongs in jail. It seems that the less money you have the more he was after you. They’re all in this together in some respects because this is how they make their living. Defense attorneys included.
I live in Washington CO, right on the border of Westmoreland County, and Fayette County, I own rental property in Westmoreland County, and I can attest to how dirty it was
@@sinsley1 I do recall hearing a little , but I mostly know Westmoreland as a VW guy and the old factory site is like traveling to mecca for some of us to get a pic of our car in front of the place ✌️
These civil asset forfeiture stories have led me to come up with a law. When you enter a public space you must be notified which of your civil rights are suspended when you enter that space.
Don't prosecuters take an oath to see that justice is served first and foremost? They should be not only held accountable but accountable to a higher level.
It’s because the entire system is bogus. These cases help Steve because it gives him stuff to talk about. Otherwise all the case law and precedent in the world doesn’t matter. You might beat the rap but you don’t beat the ride… if you ignore second amendment solutions and let yourself take the ride. Putting a cop or prosecutor 6ft under is the ONLY way anyone can have justice these days.
@@EnthalpyAndEntropy Bit bold to actually say that online, even if it's what tens of thousands of your countrymen are thinking. Expect a knock at your door- oh, wait, they come at 3 AM and don't knock- just bust in the door. Crime gets out of control when the criminals no longer fear consequences. I suppose that applies to crimes committed under color of law also. As my man Frederick Douglass put it, "Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both."
@@ostlandr every time I get in a car and click the buckle on my seat belt or stick my arms into the glove box in my lab, I’m well aware that day might be my last on this earth. I’m not afraid to die, certainly not at the government’s hand. No. The fear goes one way and one way only. FYI, if a cop kicks in my door, he better hope he has the right MOPP gear or that I’m too ethical for a dead man switch. How bad would it suck to die at work by my own accident and take a city with me in a fashion befitting the Old Testament God?
I'm late to the party having only found this channel recently but I thank you for covering this topic. I decided to make a donation to IJ after doing more research into the cases they are working on so thanks for pointing me in that direction. Cheers!
@@ingiford175 If the case is dismissed _with prejudice,_ or a verdict gets handed down, then double jeopardy applies. Typically, if something technical or clerical happens, a case gets dismissed without prejudice and the state can get their ducks back in a row and refile. If there's something incurable, like an illegal search or other rights violation, that's when it gets dismissed with prejudice. Sometimes the state will claim they fubared the evidence, and thus the issue is _curable_ with a new trial. There is a limit. If you fail too many times often a lawyer will ask for it to be dismissed with prejudice to stop the harassment caused by the state's incompetence.
How long have they gotten away with this? How many people who couldn't afford to defend themselves have lost their property and or been jailed because of this?
for a very long long time, Tina... civil forfeiture is a JOKE, Tina... An old lady wanting to move to Philippine decided to carry $45,000 on her person to take with her not realizing that you can't have no more than $10,000 when traveling on planes. This money was her son's money for the house she sold him. Guess what happened to that MONEY as soon as the money was found by TSA? TSA confiscated the money and told her that money is good as LOST. She won't get it back even though she had proper paper works to show that it was her money rightfully. State prosecutor chimed in by saying, *"We are going to do everything in our power to keep that money."* Why? they think this was a DRUG MONEY... lol... Nonsense like this has been taking place for a very long time, Tina... SMH!!! 🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂
Encyclopedia Brittanica should do the trick. Failing that, the McMaster-Carr or Grainger print catalogs are great for getting the point across. Law books would be wasted in the physical application--use them for the figurative application.
Wouldn't be difficult. anyone making an official statement before the court does so effectively under oath. Especially if they sign their name to it. Bring perjury charges against the corrupt prosecutors.
Having used and pulled skid steers on trailers, I can confirm that a Camaro doesn't have room inside for one. And even with a V8 and a trailer hitch, I don't think a Camaro could pull a skid steer on a trailer. It might do it. Once.
Yea. Try to pull a Skid Steer with a camero, those officers would never get the smell of burnt cluth, welded differential, and never forget the sound of a grenading transmission
This is something that I feel is so long overdue that it makes me weep. I don't care WHO is President, or from what political party, but I want to see a President hold a press conference early on in their term and come right out and declare that they are directing Congress to send them a bill to clean up the asset forfeiture abuses going on across the country, AND issue orders to the Attorney General to clean house in the judicial system over such charges, AND get the FBI involved in cleaning up their own act plus investigating abusive police jurisdictions such as this. This is NOT a Republican/Democrat/Independent/Conservative/Liberal issue. Its a basic constitutional abuse that puts Americans at risk from attack by our own government.
It's weird that the government keeps Civil Asset Forfeiture in the law despite how many Constitutional amendments it violates. Also, in case anyone was wondering, a "skid steer" is, in layman's terms, a Bobcat (technically Bobcat is a brand name for a company that primarily sells skid steer loaders).
"A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSL, or skidsteer is any of a class of compact heavy equipment with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets ..." Why would anyone expect the stolen vehicle to be concealed in another vehicle? [Does not explain why they seized this camero...]
Why has the prosecutor been charged with misconduct or been disbarred? Prosecutors that use their office to for illegal acts need to be held accountable.
As you repeatedly tell us of the great work and the volume of cases the institute for justice litigate for us the people , we have to assume there is a huge amount of corruption in police departments local government , and the local judiciary are complicit in the corruption as they often seem to just rubber stamp the prosecutions regardless of the actual laws or the constitution. . The checks and balances only seem to prevail when the cases are heard at higher levels . I think we all have to applaud the efforts of the institute for justice on our behalf and support them in any way we can . And thank you Steve Lehto for using your platform to publicise what they do .
The courts who toss these cases, need to place an injunction or something to prevent these government entities from wasting the court's time... Maybe punish prosecutors financially and with jail time like they do to the layman for filing frivelous lawsuits... Oh... Oops... Sorry, I just woke up from my dream... The justice department will NEVER police itself.
These type of seizures should be outlawed, this is the only time I've ever heard that someone has to prove their innocents. I am surprised that those has not made it to the Supreme Court of either a State or SCOTUS.
If the revenuers are sniffing around your pile of money, and they have nothing to build a case over but they want to take it anyway, and suddenly something criminal happened, would they be obliged to hang on to the money for the trial or would they go ahead and play hot potato with the feds?
Because of you introducing the Institute of Justice on your videos I now have a monthly reoccurring payment to them. If a case is being supported by the Institute then you know it’s not BS. Thanks for supporting them.
My father was in the Navy for a while (non US) and they stopped at NYC, he had a pass for a couple of days and went to stay in a motel. While sleeping, police barged in and arrested him. The judge charged him for damaging the police agents uniform and to pay for a new none. Then, when the consular representative went to check on my father, he explained this happened a fair amount, they picked on foreign sailors (wearing a foreign navy uniform), and created bogus arrests that would materialise in the foreign sailors being asked to pay for a new police uniforms (as the uniform was paid by the agents from their own salary and it was a way to renew the uniform). Consulate paid for the uniform and my father never step foot in the US ever again... This asset forfeiture is really creepy...
There needs to be something to discourage people in charge of upholding the law from doing the opposite. The system is just built to make it easy for them to get away with treating citizens unlawfully. maybe we need aligator pits and a promiss to drop anyone caught using the system for personal gain into said pit.
They charged him with Receiving Stolen Property because they gave him his car back after THEY stole it from HIM. I'm glad the District Attorney was smart enough to toss the charges.
@@charlesesseltine7054 that is insightful. I never considered that they had a room full of no evidence to choose from. I thought they had only a few options at most. Never stop learning….
Thank you for speaking about this case, Steve! We look forward to continuing the fight to end Wayne County’s unconstitutional vehicle forfeiture racket once and for all.
Keep up the awesome work ⚖️💪🏽👊🏼
Can you make proper updates to any of your cases?
I tried to send money to you but because I live in UK I could not.
Please keep up the fight for the little guy your organization is absolutely priceless keep up the GOOD FIGHT
Awsome work, But I do not believe this will stopp unless there are fairly serious consequences for the people/institute that does crapp like this.
The BIGGEST issue that I see, after the wrongdoing, is that ALL the Judiciary, Prosecutorial and Law Enforcement officials that are involved in these cases, are NEVER held to account for their actions. They know they'll get by with it 9 times out of 10 and never spend a night in jail. It's SICKENING!!
There was 1 judge who took the qualified immunity of bad cops. And eh punished accordingly. The DA and cops PROVEN to be lying in court (some even admitted in court) and at the same time, never gave up on those lies. That judge was forced into early retirement.
@@Some_Guy6 And that is when doing the right thing causes you to loose your job....
Nobody in the judicial system is good. From top to bottom they are all corrupt. This is why firing and charging singular cops does nothing to change the way we are treated. They just hire the next dummy and train him to be a tyrant. It’s what they want.
Until we get in there and change the way the DA, prosecutors and Judges uphold the law, none of this is going to change. Civil asset forfeiture, no-knock warrants, illegal traffic stops… all of this bs is done to us and the courts never punish cops for doing it to innocent people. We have our work cut out for us if we want to change this stuff.
They have prosecutorial immunity . It is sickening .
@@jodyvanliew2514 Qualified Immunity needs to be legislated out of existence. It was never enacted, it became law from the bench by the SCOTUS.
To the cops it's a cover up ..
To the lawyers it's a game ...
To the news it's a story...
Butl peoples lives are turned upside down by these criminals with badges. They need to start going to prison for their actions.
Prison is the least that should happen to officials that abuse innocent citizens
@@thevalorousdong7675 I agree 100 percent
If you think about it, cops are paid way too little to do what they do and go through on their jobd. Plus how they are all treated and scrutinized for their work which one can only care so much about a job where your underpaid, overworked and have to risk everything everyday.. the ptsd nobody sees.. so I understand police agencies trying to get a little extra when they can but doing it from the public who are just as undrpaid is not right.. even though if they see it as like a mob style payment.. meanwhile all these brick heads are screaming to defund the police.. what do you think will happen when they make even less money? Like teachers, keep lowering their pay then youll have less of them and the ones you do have will be worth a fart on a taco.. army vets get to go do the same shit as the police except their time is over when they get back able to retire or serve their expected time of 4,8,12 or 20 years then get that check to live with the ptsd but theyre respected more than the police but in my opinion the police are needed more than any grunt is for some bullshit war the government is sending them on so those greedy fuckers can get a little extra for themselves … its all about money and greed will take over most people. Ive seen people do some off handed shit just for them to get the extra 25¢ an hour.. just saying.. yes there are some bad cops out there but theres a way to stop there being so many of them and have nicer more helpful cops around without giving up our rights..
@@Z-Ack bootlicker.
@@Z-Ack April Fools is tomorrow.
The Supreme Court needs to correct itself and end Civil Asset Forfeiture and call it what it is: Robbery under the color of authority without due process that circumvents the presumption of innocence that we all have a right to....And two other things: 1) A police force should be absolutely liable for the actions and activities of their employees while at work and 2) Those employees should also be liable personally for those transgressions....
we have a far right sc there is zero chance of this happening
Sounds like organizing victims and anyone in support to take appropriate actions, up to demanding these crooked politicians to change behavior or vacate their positions. If they don’t listen go into each public office and order them out. Everyone record and those who can broadcast live do so and ask for anyone available to show up, show up. You can’t retreat and be afraid of arrest of retaliatory force. In doing this you cannot use violence back. Let them continue to show their true colors. More and more good people will join your cause until, these out of line and a touch employees, will either do their job in the best interest of their community members or they should be taken and responded to as the evil and insane with disregard, disrespect, and degradation they have made abundantly clear their actions communicate to their bosses and community members. Effective revolutions exist and transform evil only with moral boundaries, courage, steadfastness, sacrifice, solidarity, continued resistance, and absolute persistence of a goal to ensure the children of this have absolute freedom and security from bullies and psychopaths that live in their minds reality without regard to you and I. Remind them who they work for and easily they can be replaced. Chop that peristalsis their ego as put them on, one hack at a time.
No the people need to correct the Supreme Court. This is a republic of the people and not a democracy of legislation.
@@scottst1112 lol, are you prepaired to utilize the 2nd amendment?
It wont happen by complaining on utube. They dont pay attention to keyboard warriors, bud.
Keep on dreaming…with this corrupt and far right Supreme Court
Time to set a new precedent: File a lawsuit against the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, seeking a permanent injunction against their ability to press criminal charges against people.
Even simpler. They lied to the court, so they should be disbarred. That's permenant "injunction" against the prosecutors.
including the death penalty
The LEs are the ones seizing properties not the prosecutors office although they Do assist them. National attention should be brought to this prosecutor for such blatant conduct.
@@JohnDoe-qz1ql They're all associated with the evil criminal cult of police agenda of OWNING people.
Kim UN Worthy is a POS and should be recalled .
Those prosecutors should be disbarred for thief, conspiracy, racketeering, and stupidity.
And put in jail in general population. I'm sure they'll be quite popular with people whose rights they violated.
One of those cops wanted his car and they were pissed that they weren't allowed to get it for cheap
Not cheap...free
Exactly
@@imbalancedstatus8824 Well, it would have to go through auction so some money would have to be spent.
Classic stunt though, would be to advertise the auction in a place where no one sees it so only 1 or 2 people show up.
Or maybe some detective wanted an unmarked car to drive.
Gee, Mr. cop with your yearly salry you should be able to go to the car dealership & buy a neat/hot-rod!!
If the law doesn't matter when a prosecutor violates it, *the law doesn't actually matter.*
Yep.
🎯🎯🎯
💯
Years ago, my exwife and her sister were selling coke, and people were dying, other crimes were being committed, (racketeering, securities fraud, prostitution, drug dealing, robbery, stealing from the elderly, assaults, rape)etc, and at the center of it was my ex-sister-in-law, and ex-wife. I was so harrassed by LEO, whom cannot comprehend, that the drug don, was a woman. Eventually, I left the state, and my ex-wife still tried to have my out-of-state swatted. Now, jokes on us, the woman now works with law enforcement, and the other one now is a drug abuse counselor.
Weaponization of the justice system is becoming frighteningly common these days.
communists and large governments do that
It's always been common for the poor, people of color and the working class
Yeah, from Trump. To the little guy.
It's always been this way..since the beginning of time. The underlings have always been the target of the elite.
@@johnsmithers8913 You have TDS. Get help.
Asset forfeiture should be illegal without a conviction.
Corruption runs deeper than the Mariana Trench.
They don't see it as corruption....they see it as their right
That’s DEEP
@@imbalancedstatus8824 That's a key difference they 'see it as' a right. Someone will eventually get tired of being stolen from, and teach them about a special amendment that comes after the first. Then they'll use that 'tragedy' to further more bogus BS
Yup, and they (the corrupt ones) heap the bullshit higher than Mount Everest.
What did you expect? It's been Democrat run since 1932. Of course it's going to be corrupt!
The amount of people in the public who don't realise the importance of being innocent until proven guilty is truly shocking.
WHAT A SHOCK, YOU ACTUALLY NEED EVIDENCE TO PROSECUTE SOMEONE FOR SOMETHING THEY DIDN'T DO.
In Wayne county???? Not neccesarily.
I'm shocked!!! Shocked to think that evidence would be required to prosecute a case in Wayne County. Thank you very much for the car and the money.
YOU are required to present the evidence you didn't commit the crime not them
They can confiscate and prosecute. They just need evidence to win if they're facing an honest judge. I expect even some of the dishonest ones want at least some evidence.
Even in Wayne County! And in NYC.
The federal judiciary should get involved with this kind of criminal behavior. Throw those prosecutors out and put them behind bars.
HAHAHAHAHAHA PLEASE STOP i CAN'T BREATHE. . .
This isn't even 1A, this is Due Process!
You know what would disrupt organized crime better?
Investigating, prosecuting, convicting, and jailing criminals.
An realizing that the blue line gang is just as guilty of organized crime as the mob
It's the criminals investigating, prosecuting and jailing the criminals, so it's never going to happen.
when the criminals ARE the prosecutors, police AND judges?
This is 1A. Filing a lawsuit or being part of one is part of your 1A right to challenge or hold the government to account.
Constitutional quiz: Q: is no process at all due process? A: NO! How could it be interpreted any differently?
My wife got a speeding ticket in Eau Claire, Wisconsin by a cop who was tailgating her. I was following them at the same speed and know 100% she was not speeding so we decided to fight the ticket.
Come the day of the traffic hearing, we found out that the cop coincidentally rescheduled the hearing and didn't show up. Hmmm...maybe because he knew he was lying 🤥
Yep. That is what they get paid to do. LIE
If you don't show up, though, best case is the judge finds you guilty, worst case judge issues a bench warrant for your arrest.
they are trained to lie to you @@Steven-nj8le
WI laweforcement pulled me over and slammed my door on my arm injuring me he was aggressive violent careless and pcycho, cops suck and continue to rob injure and bully law abiding citizens
@@beepbop6697 The worst case is what happened to that soldier. They changed his court date and never notified him, then they showed up in military gear at night and shot his wife, son, and friend. The case against him was dismissed.
For those wondering, a skid steer is also known as a skip loader; its a small tractor that is transported on a trailer, so in order for a person to take a skid steer, their vehicle would need a ball hitch, something not usually found on a Camero.
Thanks for clarifying this. I’d never heard of the term before, possibly because we might call them something else in my country. Cheers!
I have a SMALL skid steer, it weighs 4k lbs and is 7 ft high...
@@frankenmauler3759 don't believe it will fit lol
@@howlinwulf Did the officers search the back seat, the glove box or the trunk? The citizen's employees must be diligent in their duties.
A skid steer would break the suspension of a Camaro. Plus, it wouldn't fit in the hatch anyways. Lmao I'm wondering if they confused a skid steer with a pallet jack. That would be way more feasible. The premise of what started this whole case is absurd.
Every time I hear about CAF, I imagine a fantasy scenario where a fed up judge has the bailiffs seize the contents of the prosecutor's wallet and then their car under the same rule, because hey, cars and money are related to crime all the time and they're arguing that it's not a violation of due process so they must be okay with it.
IJ standing up for the little guy again...love them. The day of those who commit highway robbery under the veil of law enforcement is coming. I would hope that egregious cases like this would result in corruption charges.
They have not stood up for one guy who got raided by the FBI and took $20k of his equipment and still not heard back from them after months, and neither from IJ
Every I.J. lawyer should have his or her own super hero costume emblazoned with "INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE" across the back.
"The day of those who commit highway robbery under the veil of law enforcement is coming." Bruh, it's already here! Federal agents seized a whole money transport truck because 'some of the money might've come from a legal marijuana dispensary and the truck left California, so the money is now illegal'. They seized ALL of the money in that armored truck. *All of it.* Cops ARE committing highway robbery, and they're using 'Civil Asset Forfeiture' to do it.
Civil asset forfeiture is just a way for the government to steal. When they charge you for a crime and send you to prison, that is your punishment. Not to mention all these cops seizing assets from law abiding citizens.
For anyone who has observed, been threatened, or harmed by CORRUPT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, file a complaint with the NSA(National Security Agency), ask for a investigation under the RICO ACT(The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations)...,The government cannot break the law, to make the law...File a complaint, or live as a slave...Lawsuits don't stop government corruption, RICO ACT prison time does...Contacting the right people changes everything...
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
― Frédéric Bastiat
So the Bar Association does nothing against these guys? Sure seems to me conduct that reflects poorly on the profession. What happened to this self-policing I've heard about for years? Seems to me the Bar is functioning more like a guild.
The Bar Association is made up of lawyers. Just like PD IA's. Cops investigating themselves and cops are rarely found guilty.
This is why this entire country is corrupt to the core !!!
Someone brought this up about a different country but I assume it's the same in the states. Cost-benefit analysis.
if I disbar someone who's doing 50k worth of work with 5k worth of risk, I'm not making it worth while. the legal drama Bull actually did a bit of this, different careers are worth different prices when dying or other crimes. They need something high profile and, worst of all, costly to make disbarment worthwhile.
There was 1 judge who took the qualified immunity of bad cops. And eh punished accordingly. The DA and cops PROVEN to be lying in court (some even admitted in court) and at the same time, never gave up on those lies. That judge was forced into early retirement.
Do you have some evidence that the bar is offended by this behavior? What bar association in America has taken a stand against civil forfeiture or qualified immunity?
Americans are armed, have legal representation, and never shut up. Imagine how horrifying law enforcement would be if we weren't.
I understand why he didn't want to sue for money, but I think it would be great to win large amount and then donate it to The Institute for justice.
perhaps (i am not a lawyer) if he did win, the defendants would have to cover ALL legal costs, which could easily reach $100K.
I'd keep it. They don't get to decide what your time and emotional stress are worth.
I think it's mainly to shut down naysayers. There's always naysayers out there.
There needs to be a federal law against civil asset forfeiture.
The Wayne County Prosecutor needs to be removed from office, disbarred, then subjected to KARMA. I hope this guy wins. That old Camaro was probably worth quite a bit now. Want to hear those stories Steve. Thanks!
I've often thought that bar associations could become our last hope for justice. Prosecutors show wide disparity in what laws they enforce and against whom. They fail to recuse themselves when complaints are made against police with whom they work daily. These are clear ethical problems that the bar fails to address.
Give the person a break. They thought they were the county persecutor.
Simple spelling error, right?
While they attack him Criminally Sue the DA the Judge and Clerk of Court every cop who has participated civilly for theft of Property go after their bonds and pensions.
It's time prosecutors, if they are proven corrupt, serve the same sentance that would have been imposed on the person harmed
Indeed!
Nah, execution for abuse of power and failure to discharge their appointed duty in good faith to the public. See how many step out of line with that weight of easily passable terms.
@@theodoreslavo5385 It sounds like you just prescribed execution for incompetence. That sounds rather excessive.
Yea, these prosecutors throw charges around like it’s candy and they affect peoples lives. They do it like it’s nothing more than a game. “Just charge him with felony robbery”. Completely baseless and needs to be punished. At a minimum they need to be fired and disbarred. Idk how the bar association lets them get away with this nonsense anyways.
@@skillethead15 there’s an idea, someone needs to challenge the Bar association as to why they are not disbarring these criminals.
How is not a conflict of interest that money police collect (ticket fines & CAF) goes to the police. All fines and money police collect should be sent to a charity. This would end CAF and speed traps because they wouldn't be getting the money for their own budgets.
I see a pattern: there’s no penalty for abusing authority. There’s the problem. Nothing will change unless… something changes.
The exemption law enforcement enjois needs repealed...
Geez, what ever happened to prosecutorial misconduct charges? It's like there are no checks and balance in this country, or redress of grievances.
Or a "Country" even....
Would be real nice if honest judges would slap down these corrupt prosecutors with jail time
Everyone needs to call AND write their congressmen about this bs . Do it .
Thank you Institute for Justice.
Thank-you for what. They are not disbarring these type of lawyers. They are not ,protecting the public form this type justice system.
Those prosecutors need to be fired immediately and put in jail for life.
Add the police officers who were in this as well...
In Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, the new district attorney is tasked with cleaning up after defeating her opponent. It’s been over a year now, and she still is mopping up after this clown. He did some similar type things, but in his case he was trying to put people in jail for the rest of their life or death by lethal injection. Remember they were all lawyers first. Always follow the money it’s a dirty business.
I live in westmoreland co and first I’m hearing of this
@@sinsley1 a
Use a search engine for the Tribune Review search for Ezra Grant. The former district attorney, John Peck filed 11 charges against this man.
Nine of them were attempted homicide, three charges each regarding three undercover police officers . There was one charge of possessing a weapon and one charge I don’t remember. Peck used various schemes to keep this man in jail for two years and not bring him to trial. The average cost of incarceration in Pennsylvania is $50,000 a year. So it cost the taxpayers $100,000 to keep this man in jail because the trumped up charges lead to, no bail. Also search for the 26 page letter that Judge Krieger sent to DA Peck, castigating him for not bringing people to trial in a timely manner, consistent with the law. The defense lawyer, called no witnesses, the defendant did not testify. The only witness was a jail house snitch, trying to get a better deal for himself. The cops believed the snitch, the DA believed in the snitch, but the jury did not, and found this man not guilty of every charge in three hours. Google Judge Krieger‘s letter and read about some of the other cases. I follow this kind of stuff closely now because of an incident I had with three dirty, Pennsylvania state troopers, one morning and one of them trooper Hood sent me a citation through the mail for disorderly, conduct and fighting with first responders. He committed a fourth amendment violation. At the hearing I requested, I was found not guilty in five minutes and a few seconds. The charge of disorderly conduct and fighting with first responders never came out of their mouth when they presented their case. I never paid a lot of attention to what went on in our county until that incident with the dirty cops the other two did not stop him so they’re just as bad as him. I am not saying that any of these people charged with a crime are pillars of society, but I can assure you that the former DA probably belongs in jail. It seems that the less money you have the more he was after you. They’re all in this together in some respects because this is how they make their living. Defense attorneys included.
I live in Washington CO, right on the border of Westmoreland County, and Fayette County, I own rental property in Westmoreland County, and I can attest to how dirty it was
@@sinsley1 I do recall hearing a little , but I mostly know Westmoreland as a VW guy and the old factory site is like traveling to mecca for some of us to get a pic of our car in front of the place ✌️
Most politicians were lawyers at one time?
These civil asset forfeiture stories have led me to come up with a law. When you enter a public space you must be notified which of your civil rights are suspended when you enter that space.
Sounds like that prosecutor needs his practices reviewed by the licensing board. If it is retaliatory, he needs to lose his license to practice.
And get rewarded for his efforts the same way as the French nobility...
Wow legal theft.
Don't prosecuters take an oath to see that justice is served first and foremost? They should be not only held accountable but accountable to a higher level.
They know it is cheaper to be ripped off than to try and right a wrong.
Who got time to go to court....? That's what they counting on
@@imbalancedstatus8824 that’s part of the cost.
@@imbalancedstatus8824 Who's got time to go to court?
The prosecutor and officers who filed the charges you spastic
Keep on exposing these criminals.
Gee, Wayne county must absolutely need those extra fancy coffee makers
And why aren't they being charged for conversion of trust? At the very least, ethics charges should be filed with the state bar.
It’s because the entire system is bogus. These cases help Steve because it gives him stuff to talk about. Otherwise all the case law and precedent in the world doesn’t matter. You might beat the rap but you don’t beat the ride… if you ignore second amendment solutions and let yourself take the ride. Putting a cop or prosecutor 6ft under is the ONLY way anyone can have justice these days.
@@EnthalpyAndEntropy Bit bold to actually say that online, even if it's what tens of thousands of your countrymen are thinking. Expect a knock at your door- oh, wait, they come at 3 AM and don't knock- just bust in the door.
Crime gets out of control when the criminals no longer fear consequences. I suppose that applies to crimes committed under color of law also. As my man Frederick Douglass put it, "Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both."
@@ostlandr every time I get in a car and click the buckle on my seat belt or stick my arms into the glove box in my lab, I’m well aware that day might be my last on this earth. I’m not afraid to die, certainly not at the government’s hand. No. The fear goes one way and one way only. FYI, if a cop kicks in my door, he better hope he has the right MOPP gear or that I’m too ethical for a dead man switch. How bad would it suck to die at work by my own accident and take a city with me in a fashion befitting the Old Testament God?
I'm late to the party having only found this channel recently but I thank you for covering this topic. I decided to make a donation to IJ after doing more research into the cases they are working on so thanks for pointing me in that direction. Cheers!
Thank you Steve, for bringing the IJ to our attention. They deserve all the support we can give.
The judge needs to file arrest warrants for these officials,for numerous infractions, requiring their immediate arrest.
Is filing the same charges without evidence twice "suspicious", or does the pd suspend it's overactive sense of suspicion when it benefits them?
What happened to double jeopardy?
I know right? They couldn’t even make up a new crime, they just went with the one that’s already been thrown out? Lazy! But crooks are lazy by nature.
@@ingiford175 If the case is dismissed _with prejudice,_ or a verdict gets handed down, then double jeopardy applies. Typically, if something technical or clerical happens, a case gets dismissed without prejudice and the state can get their ducks back in a row and refile. If there's something incurable, like an illegal search or other rights violation, that's when it gets dismissed with prejudice. Sometimes the state will claim they fubared the evidence, and thus the issue is _curable_ with a new trial. There is a limit. If you fail too many times often a lawyer will ask for it to be dismissed with prejudice to stop the harassment caused by the state's incompetence.
How long have they gotten away with this? How many people who couldn't afford to defend themselves have lost their property and or been jailed because of this?
for a very long long time, Tina... civil forfeiture is a JOKE, Tina... An old lady wanting to move to Philippine decided to carry $45,000 on her person to take with her not realizing that you can't have no more than $10,000 when traveling on planes. This money was her son's money for the house she sold him. Guess what happened to that MONEY as soon as the money was found by TSA? TSA confiscated the money and told her that money is good as LOST. She won't get it back even though she had proper paper works to show that it was her money rightfully. State prosecutor chimed in by saying, *"We are going to do everything in our power to keep that money."* Why? they think this was a DRUG MONEY... lol... Nonsense like this has been taking place for a very long time, Tina... SMH!!! 🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂
they need to file missconduct charge with the bar
They didn't care if they won or not. They just wanted to punish him for daring to challenge their criminal behavior buy burying him in legal costs.
Hope whatever judge gets this throws the book at the cops both figuratively and physically.
Encyclopedia Brittanica should do the trick. Failing that, the McMaster-Carr or Grainger print catalogs are great for getting the point across. Law books would be wasted in the physical application--use them for the figurative application.
@@erichusmann5145 how about the silver bible...
@@SonsOfLorgar Are they a werewolf? Lead would do just fine.
Hasn’t happened yet. Don’t expect it to happen any time soon.
The prosecutor should be DISBARRED!
There should be criminal charges for cops and prosecutors who file bogus charges
Malicious Prosecution - statutes vary from state to state
Wouldn't be difficult. anyone making an official statement before the court does so effectively under oath. Especially if they sign their name to it. Bring perjury charges against the corrupt prosecutors.
Sounds like a nonsense attempt to take his car
Having used and pulled skid steers on trailers, I can confirm that a Camaro doesn't have room inside for one. And even with a V8 and a trailer hitch, I don't think a Camaro could pull a skid steer on a trailer. It might do it. Once.
But boy would it be obvious! These cops were fishing without gear.
Downhill.
@@katiekane5247 yep, they wanted to pull up to the lake and steal someone else's gear!
Yea. Try to pull a Skid Steer with a camero, those officers would never get the smell of burnt cluth, welded differential, and never forget the sound of a grenading transmission
This is something that I feel is so long overdue that it makes me weep. I don't care WHO is President, or from what political party, but I want to see a President hold a press conference early on in their term and come right out and declare that they are directing Congress to send them a bill to clean up the asset forfeiture abuses going on across the country, AND issue orders to the Attorney General to clean house in the judicial system over such charges, AND get the FBI involved in cleaning up their own act plus investigating abusive police jurisdictions such as this.
This is NOT a Republican/Democrat/Independent/Conservative/Liberal issue. Its a basic constitutional abuse that puts Americans at risk from attack by our own government.
Govt across America has fallen real low. They will do anything to keep your money.
The fruits of a DA's immunity.
Thank you mr. Reagan
Attorneys, 10 years ago, wouldn't even take me on unless I could afford $8k.
It's weird that the government keeps Civil Asset Forfeiture in the law despite how many Constitutional amendments it violates.
Also, in case anyone was wondering, a "skid steer" is, in layman's terms, a Bobcat (technically Bobcat is a brand name for a company that primarily sells skid steer loaders).
Again there is no consequences for their bad behavior.
"A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSL, or skidsteer is any of a class of compact heavy equipment with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets ..." Why would anyone expect the stolen vehicle to be concealed in another vehicle? [Does not explain why they seized this camero...]
Lengthy prison time for the tyrants
Should be filed as a federal civil rights violation with damages preyed for. Make them pay 💰!
The prosecuters need public exposure........Who are they......???????
Why has the prosecutor been charged with misconduct or been disbarred? Prosecutors that use their office to for illegal acts need to be held accountable.
As you repeatedly tell us of the great work and the volume of cases the institute for justice litigate for us the people , we have to assume there is a huge amount of corruption in police departments local government , and the local judiciary are complicit in the corruption as they often seem to just rubber stamp the prosecutions regardless of the actual laws or the constitution. . The checks and balances only seem to prevail when the cases are heard at higher levels . I think we all have to applaud the efforts of the institute for justice on our behalf and support them in any way we can . And thank you Steve Lehto for using your platform to publicise what they do .
No holds barred. Sounds like someone needs disbarred!
Prosecutorial misconduct should be punished by PRISON.
The courts who toss these cases, need to place an injunction or something to prevent these government entities from wasting the court's time... Maybe punish prosecutors financially and with jail time like they do to the layman for filing frivelous lawsuits... Oh... Oops... Sorry, I just woke up from my dream... The justice department will NEVER police itself.
Make knowingly filing false charges or cohersing a confession into capital crimes.
Sounds like a personality clash.
Why aren’t those lawyers disciplined by the bar for being corrupt?
Abuse of the court. The prosecutor should be disbarred.
And imprisoned for life
I hope state and the federal government officials start investigating that county government.
Wow, even in Michigan,, it's deja vu all over again!
These type of seizures should be outlawed, this is the only time I've ever heard that someone has to prove their innocents. I am surprised that those has not made it to the Supreme Court of either a State or SCOTUS.
I hope this man sues and gets tens of millions. This is just insanity, those prosecutors need to be in prison!
He's only asking for$1
The fact that they have done that to 400+ people should be hundreds of times they should've faced accountability that goes past survivability!!!!
If the revenuers are sniffing around your pile of money, and they have nothing to build a case over but they want to take it anyway, and suddenly something criminal happened, would they be obliged to hang on to the money for the trial or would they go ahead and play hot potato with the feds?
No, they'll just take it. And play hot potato with the Feds.
Depends on if they're afraid they'll have to return it or not.
I think that the term you're looking for is: correlation does not equal causation.
I watch most of your videos and enjoy the work you do. Thank you!
I wouldn't count on them being held accountable.
Use this as an example when explaining to someone that the government is not your friend.
Because of you introducing the Institute of Justice on your videos I now have a monthly reoccurring payment to them. If a case is being supported by the Institute then you know it’s not BS. Thanks for supporting them.
this sounds like they should be charged under R.I.C.O. act.
My father was in the Navy for a while (non US) and they stopped at NYC, he had a pass for a couple of days and went to stay in a motel. While sleeping, police barged in and arrested him. The judge charged him for damaging the police agents uniform and to pay for a new none. Then, when the consular representative went to check on my father, he explained this happened a fair amount, they picked on foreign sailors (wearing a foreign navy uniform), and created bogus arrests that would materialise in the foreign sailors being asked to pay for a new police uniforms (as the uniform was paid by the agents from their own salary and it was a way to renew the uniform). Consulate paid for the uniform and my father never step foot in the US ever again... This asset forfeiture is really creepy...
It's so weird. It's almost like these police are part of a badge wearing gang. 😅
Once a town gets so many complaints that is when the governor should assign a special prosecutor to investigate said town and officials
Until we get rid of immunity laws, this corruption will never end.
The prosecutor and the police should all be in prison in Wayne County.
Yeah, they do stuff like that then wonder why nobody likes them or trusts them.
The DEFINITION of Highway Robbery!!! WOW
And he should have sued for a lot more!
There needs to be something to discourage people in charge of upholding the law from doing the opposite. The system is just built to make it easy for them to get away with treating citizens unlawfully. maybe we need aligator pits and a promiss to drop anyone caught using the system for personal gain into said pit.
Make it a pit with a dozen fire ant nests...
They charged him with Receiving Stolen Property because they gave him his car back after THEY stole it from HIM. I'm glad the District Attorney was smart enough to toss the charges.
No doubt who our enemies are.
It is within not without
If the government, at any level, continues to operate in this way, someone will tragically escalate the situation into a 2nd Amendment issue.
@@arinerm1331
"The Police Wars" will be taught in schools someday.
As we see the legal system has become a weapon.
I want reforms that will hold them criminally liable for things like this.
Contrary to Steve’s statement, I suspect that the second time Wayne county filed the charges, they used a different set of no evidence.
That's because they lost the No Evidence they used before. Luckily they have a room full of No Evidence on hand for just such an occasion.
@@charlesesseltine7054 that is insightful. I never considered that they had a room full of no evidence to choose from. I thought they had only a few options at most. Never stop learning….
At what point does this crap stop in this district.