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On December 1, 2006, Rule G of the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty or Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture Actions, part of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, became effective. This rule governs procedures for civil asset forfeiture actions in the federal courts. Subsection (4)(a) of Rule G prescribes the notice procedures applicable to civil judicial forfeiture actions, and specifically authorizes posting notice on an official internet government forfeiture site.
On December 1, 2009, Rule 32.2(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure went into effect. This rule incorporates for criminal judicial forfeitures, the notice procedures, including internet publication, that apply to civil judicial forfeitures found in Supplemental Rule G.
Notice of judicial forfeiture actions has traditionally been published in newspapers. As publication of both civil and criminal judicial forfeiture notices is now permitted on a government internet site, this site incorporates the forfeiture notices that have previously been published only in newspapers.
This website contains a comprehensive list of pending notices of civil and criminal forfeiture actions in United States District Courts around the country.
The Department of Justice contemplates that notices of administrative forfeiture actions processed by Department of Justice agencies and component agencies will eventually be published exclusively on this website in addition to the judicial forfeiture notices. While the administrative forfeiture notices will continue to be published in newspapers for the foreseeable future, the internet publication of administrative forfeiture notices will be phased in to overlap with newspaper publication until newspaper publication of those notices is discontinued.
Please note that Title 18, United States Code, Section 983(h)(1), permits a court to impose a civil fine on anyone asserting an interest in property which the court determines was frivolous.
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