A lawsuit has been filed against members of law enforcement at the Indianapolis International Airport’s FedEx hub for allegedly illegally confiscating cash found in packages. A jeweler in California sent over $42,000 in cash through FedEx to pay for a transaction, but the money was taken by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of being involved in criminal activity, despite no drugs being found in the box.
The jeweler’s lawyer, Marie Miller, argues that the cash seizure was unjustified and that Indiana law enforcement should not be confiscating money from packages passing through the state without evidence of ties to criminal activity. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has filed in court to keep the seized cash, claiming it was the proceeds of a criminal act.
The jeweler’s lawyer is seeking to turn the lawsuit into a class-action lawsuit against the prosecutor’s office and the state, as they claim there are hundreds of similar cases where individuals have had cash seized in a similar manner.
The Attorney General’s Office spokesperson stated that officers obtained a search warrant and the parties involved have been served to demonstrate their lawful interest in the cash seized. The case is set for a court hearing in September.
Business owner Henry Cheng, the jeweler at the center of the case, is seeking to change how cash is seized from packages at the FedEx facility and hopes that his lawsuit will prevent further abuses of civil asset forfeiture laws against law-abiding citizens.
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