Legislation
The "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001," Pub. Law No. 107-56, was enacted on October 26, 2001, just six weeks after and as a direct response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The USA Patriot Act amends several areas of law in order to the government necessary tools to fight terrorism. One entire section of the Act, Title III, along with other provisions scattered throughout the Act, specifically deal with money laundering and asset forfeiture provisions. In addition to tightening controls on our financial system and enhancing the money laundering laws, the amendments strengthen and improve current forfeiture authorities, and also create some new ones. The amendments also create new criminal and civil offenses for which forfeiture is an available sanction.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law No. 107-296, was enacted on November 25, 2002. It created the Department of Homeland Security, which combined several components from existing law enforcement and government agencies into one department. With respect to the Treasury Forfeiture Fund participants, it moved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms from the Treasury Department to the Department of Justice. ATF is now a part of the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund and is no longer part of the TFF. The U.S. Customs Service was broken into two divisions, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Boder Protection. Portions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol were merged into these two groups. ICE and CPB are still participants of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund. The U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Coast Guard were also transferred to the Department of Homeland Security from the Treasury Department and the Department of Transportation, respectively. Both agencies remain participants of the TFF.
A current list of TFF participating agencies can be found at
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