Pittsburgh Review

Terry Rolin had lost his life savings to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in 2019 when the agency seized $82,000 in cash from his daughter, Rebecca Brown, at Pittsburgh International Airport over the summer. However, the Washington Post reported March 4 that the DEA plans to return the money, although it has not said why it was seized in the first place, let alone why the agency is giving it back.

According to the Institute for Justice, Rolin is a retired railroad engineer who kept his money in his home for years but didn’t feel comfortable keeping so much in his apartment after he moved from his longtime home to a smaller place. He asked Brown to take the money to Boston and to put it into a joint bank account, then to use the money to take care of his needs – like replacing his teeth and fixing his truck.  

Brown told the Washington Post that she was never told that she’d been suspected of a crime, and that no one found drugs or contraband when her bag was searched. Brown was not charged with a crime or arrested at the time.  Months after the money was seized, the DEA told them they were confiscating the money and they wouldn’t get it back, under civil forfeiture.

This process allows law enforcement to take someone’s assets (including cash) if it believes the individual has been involved with a crime or illegal activity. The government does not have to charge that individual with anything in this process.

The duo sued the DEA, the Transportation Security Administration and other government officials in January 2020, alleging that the agencies violate the constitutional ban on unlawful search and seizure when they confiscate cash from travelers.

Their attorney received a letter on Feb. 28 that said the money was being returned.

“After a further review, a decision has been made to return the property,” the letter said, according to the Post.