9 Counties Made Most Money From Seized Assets In New York
Crime pays for these 9 counties in New York State. Each year, various agencies, including the NYS Attorney General, Sheriff's Offices, Special Drug Prosecutors, and District Attorneys report how much money law enforcement agencies under their purview have seized. These seizures could be from drug busts, companies involved in fraud, or other criminal activities. The money gets split among many, including the law enforcement agencies who actually seized the assets, the agents who made the seizures, the federal government, and others.
In 2023 claiming authorities and claiming agents reported that more than $18 million was forfeited and distributed pursuant to state laws. In addition, claiming authorities and claiming agents reported more than $10 million was collected pursuant to federal forfeiture statutes.
While seizing the assets of criminals can benefit law enforcement, it can also be abused. The issue arises when a law enforcement agency gets greedy and doesn't follow the law or uses seizures as retaliation. When they see asset seizures as a piggy bank used to fund things they want. Cristal Starling of Rochester, New York, is one of those people who was subject to a shady asset seizure.
In the fall of 2020, police raided her home and took $8,040, claiming it was generated by some criminal activity. Even though the person who was accused of the crime they associated her money with was found not guilty, they did not return her money. According to the Institute for Justice, local law enforcement and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency did everything in their power to railroad her and not return her money. You can read more about Crystal's case here.
Agencies are not required to report their asset seizures, so not every agency was listed in the report. These 9 county District Attorneys' Offices brought in the most money in 2023 (the most up-to-date data) out of all of the reporting agencies:
9. Rennselaer County DA - $144,111.97
8. Jefferson County DA - $178,910.10
7. Yates County DA - $244,894.00
6. Albany County DA - $245,393.07
5. Orange County DA - $362,863.90
4. Nassau County DA - $2,128,815.73
3. Queens County DA - $3,240,630.94
2. New York County DA - $4,143,717.01
1. Suffolk County DA - $4,659,195.17
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