NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new state law has expanded criminal asset forfeiture for 12 statutes, mostly surrounding rape and kidnapping. It’s one of the first laws of its kind in the United States.
The new law means criminals who violate those laws could lose their homes, cars, weapons, and any property involved in the commission of the crime.
State Representative Brandon Ogles of Williamson County sponsored the bill (HB 2271) and explained that if someone kidnaps a person in their car, police can seize the vehicle. If someone rapes another person in his or her house, police can take the home.
I wonder if someone gets raped in the bathroom they will want to seize the toothbrush and toilet paper roll also ?
This bill is unconscionable and must be stopped! If passed, it would allow the government to seize your personal property, including your home, if someone accuses you of rape. Why do I say this? Because it’s very difficult if not impossible to prove that you have not committed a crime especially a sex offense. And that is because the constitution has been turned inside out so that a person charged with any crime, but especially a sex offense, must prove that they are innocent instead of the government proving that they are guilty.
Does “rape” include non-violent offenses? If a young man has sex with a minor in his home, TN can seize the home?
Soon TN will seize your car if your caught speeding.
This is a disgusting abuse of power. I hope that the people who helped pass this bill are the first ones to have THEIR properties and assets seized by the government in a Karmic form of irony.
Maybe Brandon Ogles , Will fall victim to his own stupid law. A new eminent domain method.
Combine this law with those stupid bait-and-switch stings and see how much more of Tennessee becomes state property.
They are just not going to stop with this constant building of more (LAWS) larger Gov and further incentive for each and every branch of gov to try to out do each other , it is starting to look like the only thing a PFR (person forced to register ) can do to keep our family loved ones safe would be to just walk out to prison and tell them to give us a bunk , because some day with the 10,000ft high stack of laws we will surely be dirty for something even if their is zero evidence ! hard to beat hear say as it is for PFR’s , so might as well just go start camping out at a prison and beat the court system out of any money and a chance to ruin our family , I am sick of this registry , been on it for 30 years and many on it much longer than I , no one in gov can seem to say a word with out it having something to do with sex laws , nope this is no price club , maybe if I just go hang out at some prison I will get a good cell and start righting letters and looking for those care packages , and not have to ever worry about braking some new rule/law that could further harm my family , because these fools are not ever going to stop , hell they are even after the children the they are going to “save” what a joke
Actually no news is good news. I’m just waiting to get off the registry for good. As far as TN goes they could take one’s still away for raping by moonshine or is that light…. The law is for money gain, property or whatever. Those in TN are only thinking of themself and their standinng’s for government reelection. Shows’ you how the world turns without some basic foundations.
The accompanying graphic was an interesting choice. Looks more like a prostitution deal than a rape. Maybe she’s raping him…of his hard earned cash.
Just wait! As with the registry, they are going to add all ALL KINDS of offenses that will qualify for asset forfeiture! Wanna bet they add Failure To Register?!?! So, you forget to dot one “i” or cross one “t”, and, guess what, they take your home!
This is effing lunacy! Welcome to the new Soviet Union – the USSA!
The bill is even worse than the article explains. It states that the assets, which can be virtually anything, can be seized even if they weren’t actually used. It’s enough that the state believes the defendant “intended” to use the property / assets: “When used or intended to be used in connection with such violation”
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2271&ga=112
I suspect this will give prosecutors even more leverage in plea deal negotiations, i.e.: “She said that after you had sex in your car, you were planning on taking her to your house. If you go to trial, we’ll seize your home, but if you plead guilty now, we’ll only seize your car.”
If someone forcibly kidnaps and violently rapes someone, yeah, take his stuff. But what about the “Romeo and Juliet” type cases? A 16 year old high school kid has sex with his 15 year old girlfriend. Should he have his stuff taken away as well? I think not. There’s too many laws already that make it difficult for registered people to find jobs, homes, work, etc. Why the need to add to it?
Civil asset forfeiture needs to be repealed anyway because of how its applied by LE. A cop could pull you over and see a hundred dollar bill in your console and seize it, stating he believes it is proceeds from unlawful activity, and the burden is on YOU to prove otherwise. It happens all the time, and unless its a ton of money, most people don’t fight to get it back because the monetary cost involved often exceeds the amount that was taken.
I love how these criminal regimes just keep grasping at shorter and shorter straws to try to prove how tough they are on crime. It’s not enough to imprison people. We all want to take any property they have as well. I just really, really pray that it is the children of scumbags legislators who are the people who are mostly affected by these “laws”. I want to see these control freaks and their offspring imprisoned for a long, long time. I do what I legally can in social and business environments to harm these people, but I’m greedy and want to see more! Don’t support criminal regimes and the criminals who work in them.
Remember – if you see something, definitely don’t say something to a criminal regime.
Civil asset forfiture was originally justified by the assumption that the assets were due to ill-gotten gains from some criminal activity like dealing drugs. In some way that could make sense. Now that has been extended to any asset that was merely used in or intended to be used in a crime? That is not the same thing as having obtained the property through the crime.
I could understand that sales of assets may be ordered by a court to compensate a victim. But the article said police could seize the property. I presume the proceeds go to police like other civil seizures. I have heard, but can’t verify, that some police departments actually include a budget item for anticipated revenue from property seizures. The police must be salivating at the prospect of increasing their revenue stream. This is truly sick.
And what happens when the rape victim later admits that the rape never happened? Not only is the victim (alleged rapist) in jail and on the registry, but penniless and credit scarred for life?
What’s next for the “Great State of Tennessee” – Sharia law and cutting off body parts??