United States of America v. Seventeen Thousand Five Hundred Fifty-seven ($17,557.00) Dollars in United States Currency

Filing 16

DECREE OF FORFEITURE; Ordered as follows: The following property is hereby forfeited to the United States of American, to be disposed of according to law, and no right, or interest in the defendant property shall exist in any other party: Seventeen Thousand Five Hundred Fifty-Seven ($17,557.00) Dollars in Untied States Currency. Each party will bear its own costs. Signed by Hon. Chief Judge Mark E. Fuller on 11/24/09. (sl, )

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT F O R THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA N O R T H E R N DIVISION U N IT E D STATES OF AMERICA, P l a in tif f , v. S E V E N T E E N THOUSAND FIVE H U N D R E D FIFTY-SEVEN ($ 1 7 ,5 5 7 .0 0 ) DOLLARS IN UNITED S T A T E S CURRENCY, D e f e n d a n t. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

C A S E NO. 2:09-cv-590-MEF

(W O )

DECREE OF FORFEITURE
T h is cause is before the Court on the Plaintiff United States of America's Motion for D e f au lt Judgment for Forfeiture, filed on November 20, 2009. (Doc. # 14.) It is hereby O R D E R E D that the motion is GRANTED. O n June 23, 2009, the United States filed a verified complaint of forfeiture pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(6), alleging that the Defendant property represents moneys and other th in g s of value furnished or intended to be furnished in exchange for a controlled substance in violation of the Controlled Substances Act and proceeds traceable to such an exchange, a n d further represents moneys used or intended to be used to facilitate a violation of the C o n tro lle d Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. § 801 et seq. (Doc. # 1.) It appears that process was fully issued in this action and returned according to law: 1. P u r s u a n t to a Warrant for Arrest In Rem issued by this Court on July 9, 2009,

a ll persons with an interest in the Defendant property were required to file their claims with

th e Clerk of the Court within thirty days of the execution of the Warrant for Arrest In Rem, p u b lic a tio n of the Notice of Arrest and Seizure, or actual notice of this action, whichever o cc u rred first (Doc. # 3); 2. T h e United States Marshals Service for this District served the Defendant

p rop erty on August 5, 2009 (Doc. # 4); 3. O n August 5, 2009, Attorney Zachary T. Collins was personally served by a

U n ite d States Marshal with copies of the Verified Complaint for Forfeiture In Rem, Notice o f Arrest and Seizure, and Warrant for Arrest In Rem (Doc. # 5); 4. O n October 15, 2009, Pierre Cineas was personally served by a United States

M arsh al with copies of the Verified Complaint for Forfeiture In Rem, Notice of Arrest and S e iz u r e , and Warrant for Arrest In Rem (Doc. # 8); and 5 N o tic e of this civil-forfeiture action was posted on an official government Web

s ite (www.forfeiture.gov) for a period of thirty consecutive days, beginning on July 14, 2009, a n d ending on August 12, 2009. (Doc. # 6.) O n November 18, 2009, default was entered against Pierre Cineas and all other p e rs o n s and entities having an interest in the Defendant property. (Doc. # 11.) No other c la im s or answer has been filed on behalf of any other party. N o w , therefore, on motion of the United States of America for a Default Judgment a n d a Decree of Forfeiture and for good cause otherwise shown, it is hereby ORDERED, A D J U D G E D and DECREED as follows:

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T h e following property is hereby forfeited to the United States of America, to be d isp o se d of according to law, and no right, title, or interest in the Defendant property shall e x is t in any other party: S even teen Thousand Five Hundred Fifty-Seven ($17,557.00) D o lla r s in United States Currency. E a c h party will bear its own costs. D O N E this the 24th day of November, 2009.

/s/ Mark E. Fuller CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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