Customs and International Trade Law Blog : International Trade Lawyer & Attorney : Becker & Poliakoff Law Firm : Customs Law, Border Protection

This past year has seen an explosion of seizures of bank accounts by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for alleged trade-based money laundering or "structuring". In 2011, I have handled these cases in Miami, New York, San Diego, Boston, Phoenix, San Juan, and Norfolk.  The funds in the bank accounts are taken when the bank is served with a Seizure Warrant signed by a United States Magistrate Judge, based upon an affidavit prepared by the DEA or ICE Agent.  

Typically, the bank (and its customer) do not get to see the Affidavit because the criminal proceeding is ongoing, and the Affidavit is sealed.  The Seizure Warrant itself typically alleges that the money is subject to seizure because it is the proceeds of drug activity in violation of 21 U.S.C. 881 and 18 U.S.C. 1956. 

A related legal basis for the seizure of bank accounts is 'structuring' - the deposit of $10,000 or less in cash repeatedly in a bank account to avoid the filing by the bank of a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen), U.S. Department of the Treasury .  See 31 CFR 1010.314.  A CTR is FinCen Form 104.  A CTR is required to be filed by all banks whenever a deposit of cash over $10,000 is made in a single day into a single account or by a customer into different accounts.  Be aware that deposits of cash into multiple branches of a bank or in multiple transactions is still structuring.  See 31 CFR 1010.313.  Whenever a bank suspects that its depositor or customer is depositing $10,000 or less to avoid the bank filing the CTR, the bank often instead files a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) .  The SAR reports are analyzed by FinCen, and often referred to the DEA or ICE for investigation.  Some of the investigations results in seizures of bank accounts as mentioned above.

Bank account holders absolutely have the right to challenge the taking of their money by the DEA or ICE.  If your money has been seized, you have a right to know the legal basis for the seizure, and should, through your attorney, contact the DEA or ICE Agent, or the Assistant U.S. Attorney.  In civil forfeiture cases, there is an administrative process to follow once a Notice of Seizure is issued to the bank account holder by the Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or a Notice of Seizure by the DEA.  If the Notice of Seizure is from CBP, file a Petition, and if the Notice of Seizure is issued by the DEA, file a Sworn Claim with the Asset Forfeiture Section located in Quantico, Virginia.  The procedures of both agencies are very specific, and must be followed carefully, otherwise, your right to challenge the seizure will be lost forever.

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Comments or questions, click below, or contact me directly.

Peter Quinter, Partner in Charge, Customs and International Trade Law Department

(954) 270-1864 or pquinter@becker-poliakoff.com

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Michael De Biase

Among its other duties, U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") has the daunting task and responsibility to search and seize products that are counterfeit or otherwise infringe the intellectual property rights of original goods manufacturers. This is accomplished through CBP's Intellectual Property Rights Recordation System. As the name suggests, trademark and copyright owners record their intellectual property rights with CBP and CBP keeps records of such recordings via this system, which can be accessed online at http://iprs.cbp.gov/. Using this system, an importer can determine if any of the products that it is importing actually violate the intellectual property rights of somebody else. However, there is a big problem with this system that can cause CBP to wrongfully seize goods, thereby inflicting substantial monetary damages and significant delays in delivery times.

Intellectual property rights are not absolute and can therefore be challenged and cancelled through the U.S. federal court system. When a trademark is cancelled, the U.S. district court has to notify and direct the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") to remove the trademark registration from the USPTO's registrar. Until CBP is notified that the trademark has been cancelled, CBP will continue to seize products that potentially infringe the rights of the now cancelled trademark. This causes products to be wrongfully seized, and, in turn costs the importer tens of thousands of dollars as well as significant delays.

To avoid falling victim to this situation, you must contact an attorney. An attorney can perform the proper legal research to determine whether your shipment contains products that are likely to be seized for infringement of intellectual property rights. In such an instance, the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" really holds true.

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On September 8, 2011, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST, the Journal of Commerce will host a webinar entitled "Recovering Your Seized Cargo".  The speakers will be Dennis McKenzie, Director, Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Washington, D.C., and Peter Quinter, Partner in Charge, Customs and International Trade Department, Becker & Poliakoff law firm.  The panel experts will explain the CBP detention and seizure process, as well as the administrative petition and judicial forfeiture process.

If you have ever had your money seized by Customs for failure to declare over $10,000, had merchandise seized for misdeclaring its value or not paying enough customs duties, had your bank account seized for alleged trade-based money laundering, or had any other items detained or seized by U.S. Customs for violating another Federal agency's regulations, you should sign up for this webinar.  

The fee is only $155 for this most informative webinar taught by experts with a comprehensive understanding of the internal policies and procedures of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  A little knowledge now could save you time, frustration, and a lot of money by learning how to avoid a seizure, or when a seizure has already occurred, how to get your seized cargo back as quickly as possible.

Whatever the type of merchandise, whether it is an import or an export shipment, whether it will be sold in the United States or just moving in-transit through the United States, whether it needs a special import or export license, U.S. Customs seizes and forfeits tens of millions of dollars of merchandise every year.  Download the Powerpoint presentations, and get involved in the Q&A session. Click  "Recovering Your Seized Cargo" to register at the Journal of Commerce website.

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For questions or comments, please contact:

Peter Quinter, Partner, Customs and International Trade Department

pquinter@becker-poliakoff.com or (954) 270-1864

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a February 22, 2011 60-Day Notice and Request for Comments regarding its use of a "Notice of Detention".  I know, a lot of you are saying to yourselves, "When did CBP starting using Notices of Detention," and my response to you is "That's a darn good question!"

The law, 19 U.S.C. 1499 and 19 CFR 151.16, allows CBP officers at the border to stop and search persons for merchandise.  If the CBP officer discovers something suspicious, and takes it from you, then it has been "detained".  In exchange, the CBP officer is required to send to the importer or passenger a Notice of Detention form no later than 5 business days from the date of the examination, stating that: (1) the merchandise has been detained, (2) the reason for the detention, and (3) the anticipated length of the detention. 

That all sounds reasonable, but the problem is that the legal requirement is often ignored by CBP.  Often, a Notice of Detention is never issued by CBP to the importer, or is issued late or does not state the reason for the detained merchandise.  I  have seen a few hundred Notices of Detention over the past 21 years as a customs lawyer, but have never seen one that described "the anticipated length of detention."

The Request for Comments asks the public for "ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected."  I have a way to enhance the quality of the CBP Notice of Detention - follow the law and issue it every time, on time, and accurately.   For those who want to respond formally to CBP, click on the link for the address to address comments before April 25, 2011.

If you want to share some stories of your own, please click on the "Comment" icon or contact me.

Peter Quinter, Partner, Customs and International Trade Department

pquinter@becker-poliakoff.com or (954) 270-1864

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (U.S. Customs or CBP) seizes and forfeits hundreds of millions of dollars of merchandise every year.  The IRS, DEA, U.S. Postal Service, and other Federal agencies also have the legal authority to seize and forfeit merchandise that were allegedly used illegally or were proceeds of alleged illegal activity, but U.S. Customs administrative and judicial forfeiture procedures are unique.  The answer is that seizures by U.S. Customs typically are not included within the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 (CAFRA).

The difference between a seizure under CAFRA's  rules under 18 U.S.C. 983 - The General Rules for Civil Forfeitures, and the U.S. Customs rules under the Tariff Act of 1930 and the Supplemental Rules of Admiralty, is significant. These significant differences are often misunderstood, including by attorneys who do not regularly practice in seizure and forfeiture matters.   Under CAFRA, the U.S. Government must send an administrative seizure notice to affected persons within 60 days of the seizure, but for U.S. Customs cases, there is no such requirement. In fact, unfortunately, U.S. Customs often takes 90 to days to issue the Seizure Notice letter to affected parties such as the owner of the seized merchandise. Under CAFRA, a claimant has 35 days from the date of the notice of seizure to file its administrative claim or request judicial forfeiture.  For U.S. Customs cases, the claimant must file a Petition within 30 days of the seizure notice or, if seeking judicial review of the seizure, file a claim and cost bond equal to 10% of the value of the seized merchandise, up to a maximum of $5,000.  In CAFRA cases, no court bond is required.  Once in Federal Court, for CAFRA cases, the U.S. Government's burden of proof is by the preponderance of the evidence.  In U.S. Customs cases, the Government has a lower burden of proof by establishing probable cause for the seizure, and then the burden shifts to the claimant to establish, by the preponderance of the evidence, that the property may not be forfeited. 

There are other numerous differences, a few of which are set forth in a comparison chart. One big difference is that in U.S. Customs cases, a claimant may file an administrative Petition with U.S. Customs seeking to get the seized merchandise released, and if unsuccessful, then go to Court.  In non-U.S. Customs cases, a claimant who chooses to file a Petition with the Federal agency and loses cannot then seek relief in Federal Court.  In general, filing a Petition with U.S. Customs or other Federal agency is the preferred alternative because it is often (1) faster, (2) less expensive, and (3) gives the greatest chance of success in getting the merchandise released from seizure.

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For questions or comments, complete the form below or contact me directly.

Peter Quinter, Partner, Customs and International Trade Department

pquinter@becker-poliakoff.com or (954) 270-1864

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