50-year-old Phil Parhamovich from Wisconsin, has been saving money for quite some time now in the hopes of eventually opening up his own recording studio.
With all of his hard work, he managed to save $91,000 to put toward his dream...until it was taken by the police.
That amount of money might seem suspicious to many, as to why you might be carrying it, but simply carrying cash on you (what some might think is too much at once) is not against the law. Could you think of why you or someone you know might ever have a large sum of cash on them?
Perhaps you are journeying to a friends to pay them back money you owe them, maybe you just won at the casino? Or what if you're on your way to go and pay cash for a new car or some other new item you'd like to purchase? There are a myriad of reasons why someone might have a large amount of cash on them and that shouldn't be reason enough to destroy their life.
Parhamovich said that he prefers to have the cash on him rather than leaving it at home for many reasons: he might find good buying opportunities or find new instruments he might want to purchase, and he's nervous about leaving it back at his residence where maintenance workers often pass through.
This sort of abuse of authority has been happening across the US and it's fueled some harsh criticism against civil asset forfeiture policy. The growing concern over this policy has even prompted many states, including Wyoming (where Parhamovich was stopped), to enact some laws surrounding civil asset forfeiture to try and curb the abuse.
However, law enforcement officials now seem to be opting to have victims sign waivers on the spot, thus allowing them to get around the new rules that are in place.
Parhamovich doesn't have any criminal record and he wasn't convicted of any crime in relation to the cash confiscation. He says that he signed the waiver while under duress and he is just one victim that this has happened to, many hard-working people are getting swept-up under this corrupt policing policy.
Though he initially had a tremendous amount of difficulty trying to get in touch with law enforcement to find out if he can get back his funds, after his story was reported on by VOX, they allege that a judge has now ruled in his favor and he will be getting that $91,800 coming back to him.
Unfortunately, there are many others out there who have fallen victim to civil asset forfeiture who won't be as lucky. And for many of them, it's the Institute for Justice that is helping them to navigate their way through the storm and try to seek remedy over the injustice.
Pics:
Pixabay
Heritage Foundation via reason
via redoubtnews.com
Sources:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/1/16726084/phil-parhamovich-cash-wyoming-civil-forfeiture
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/1/16686014/phillip-parhamovich-civil-forfeiture
https://www.thejacknews.com/commentary/gary-johnson-civil-asset-forfeiture-clear-threat-property-rights-america/
Related Posts:
Civil Asset Forfeiture Is Theft
https://steemit.com/politics/@doitvoluntarily/civil-asset-forfeiture-is-theft
Plans To Revive Civil Asset Forfeiture Fall Flat
https://steemit.com/news/@doitvoluntarily/plans-to-revive-civil-asset-forfeiture-fall-flat