Federal Civil Forfeiture Lawyers in Baltimore

Protect Your Assets from Government Forfeiture

For many clients, one of the most stressful aspects of civil court proceedings is anxiety over whether or not they can reclaim property that was seized by law enforcement. Much property that is rightfully owned by clients is seized as evidence under suspicion that it was unlawfully gained. It is illegal for your property to be taken without substantial evidence of probable cause.

At Nathans & Ripke LLP, we boast a team of prominent Baltimore federal civil forfeiture attorneys. Our forfeiture department is headed by the nationally recognized Robert Biddle. Mr. Biddle is one of the leading educators nationally in federal forfeiture practice - many lawyers refer federal forfeiture cases to him and otherwise defer to his knowledge and experience when addressing forfeiture proceedings in their cases. As a result of Mr. Biddle’s thorough analysis, insight, and aggressive pursuit in his civil and criminal forfeiture representation he has obtained some of the largest forfeiture settlements ever obtained in Maryland federal courts - resulting in the return to our clients of many millions of dollars of funds and property.

Find out how much of your seized property can be returned to you. Call (410) 783-0272 to schedule an appointment with Nathans & Ripke LLP.

Types of Forfeiture Proceedings

Forfeiture rulings are different depending on whether the issue at hand is a criminal or civil matter. Below we review the two proceedings that most commonly result from civil asset forfeiture.

• Federal civil forfeiture proceedings: Involves actions brought directly against particular types of properties, such as parcels of real estate, boats, airplanes, stores, factories, inventory, or any type of real or personal property. In general, to prevail in such an action, the government must show probable cause that the property facilitated, or was purchased with the proceeds of specified unlawful activity. To prevail against the government, the owner of the property, or a claimant, must contest the government's showing of probable cause.
• Administrative forfeiture proceedings: A type of civil forfeiture initiated and conducted by law enforcement agencies. Until an administrative forfeiture is contested, and sent to a U.S. Attorney for prosecution, the law enforcement agencies have great autonomy in handling administrative forfeitures.

Contact Nathans & Ripke LLP Today

Don’t let the property you worked hard to earn be snatched away without a fight. Reach out to Nathans & Ripke LLP today and find out how our Baltimore federal civil forfeiture attorneys can help.