Eetu Korhonen 
Asset Forfeiture [PDF ebook] 
Analyses of Federal Programs

Both the Department of Justice and the Department of Treasury operate separate asset forfeiture programs that are designed to prevent and reduce crime through the seizure and forfeiture of assets that represent the proceeds of, or were used to, facilitate, federal crimes. Annually, participating agencies within the Departments of Justice and Treasury seize millions of dollars in assets as a result of their law enforcement activities. In fiscal year 2011, the combined value of assets in these two programs was about $9.4 billion. Beginning in 1988 and through 2003, Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have called on the Departments of Justice and Treasury to consolidate management activities between their programs. This book assesses the extent to which these departments have assessed and acted on opportunities to coordinate or consolidate forfeiture property management activities since 2003 to reduce any duplication and achieve cost savings.