Asset Forfeiture Home Page
The
FBI's Asset Forfeiture/Victim Witness Unit combines
two important missions.
The Asset
Forfeiture Program promotes the use of asset forfeiture as a tool to dismantle
criminal
organizations. On the other side, the Victim Witness Program exists to assist
victims and
witnesses in FBI cases who have suffered direct or threatened harm as a result
of a crime.
Many
criminals are motivated by greed and the acquisition
of material goods. Therefore, the
ability of the government to forfeit property connected with criminal activity
can be an
effective law enforcement tool by reducing the incentive for illegal conduct.
Asset forfeiture" takes the profit out of crime" by helping to eliminate
the ability
of the offender to command
resources necessary to continue illegal activities.
The
use of asset forfeiture in criminal investigations
aims to undermine the economic
infrastructure of the criminal enterprise. Criminal enterprises in many ways
mirror legitimate
businesses. They require employees, equipment, and cash flow to operate. Criminal
enterprises also generate a profit from the sale of their "product" or "services." The
obvious
difference is that the profit generated from criminal enterprises is derived
from criminal
activity. Asset forfeiture can remove the tools, equipment, cash flow, profit,
and, sometimes,
the product itself, from the criminals and the criminal organization, rendering
the criminal
organization powerless to operate.
To
accomplish its goals, the Asset Forfeiture/Victim
Unit provides training, resources, and
operational assistance to Field Offices and entities in FBI Headquarters to
ensure that asset
forfeiture is incorporated into as many investigations as possible, where appropriate
and
allowed by law, to deter criminal activity and dismantle criminal enterprises.
The Asset Forfeiture/Victim Witness Unit is the point of contact with the Department
of Justice and other
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies pertaining to the use of
asset forfeiture in
FBI investigations.