Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

Not satisfied with whatever gold may be left in Fort Knox, the Feds recently tried to seize gold from the mouths of criminal suspects.

Government lawyers tried to confiscate the gold tooth caps known as "grills" from the mouths of two men facing drug charges, saying the dental work qualified as seizable assets. They had them in a vehicle headed to a dental clinic by the time defense attorneys persuaded a judge to halt the procedure.

"I've been doing this for over 30 years and I have never heard of anything like this," said Richard J. Troberman, a past president of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "It sounds like Nazi Germany when they were removing the gold teeth from the bodies, but at least then they waited until they were dead."

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"Asset forfeiture is a fairly routine procedure, and our attorneys were under the impression that these snapped out like a retainer," said [a] spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle.

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"It's shocking that this kind of action by the federal government could be sought and accomplished in secret, without anyone being notified," said Zenon Peter Olbertz, who represents Lewis. "It reminds me of the secret detentions" in terrorist cases.

Langlie and court clerks said seizure warrants are typically sealed to prevent defendants from trying to move or hide valuables and evidence. They become public with the filing of a return that shows what was seized.

Surprised? Don't be. Large swathes of the criminal justice system, both state and federal basically run off the proceeds of asset forfeitures. They don't want the drugs, because that's (supposed) to be destroyed. Everything else they keep.

Welcome to America, a corrupt cannibalistic system rife with conflicts of interest, each sector empowered or employed to feed off another.