Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/524bv.pdf
Page Number: 396.0

524US2

Unit: $U89

[09-11-00 13:24:47] PAGES PGT: OPIN

Cite as: 524 U. S. 321 (1998)

351

Kennedy, J., dissenting

ment of what is constitutional. The majority, then, departs
from its promise of deference in the very case announcing
the standard.

The Court’s argument is ﬂawed, moreover, by a serious
misinterpretation of the Guidelines on their face. The
Guidelines do not stop at the $5,000 ﬁne the majority cites.
They augment it with this vital point: “Forfeiture is to be
imposed upon a convicted defendant as provided by statute.”
United States Sentencing Commission, Guidelines Manual
§ 5E1.4 (Nov. 1995). The ﬁne thus supplements the forfeit-
ure; it does not replace it. Far from contradicting congres-
sional judgment on the offense, the Guidelines implement
and mandate it.

2

The crime of smuggling or failing to report cash is more
serious than the Court is willing to acknowledge. The drug
trade, money laundering, and tax evasion all depend in part
on smuggled and unreported cash. Congress enacted the
reporting requirement because secret exports of money were
being used in organized crime, drug trafﬁcking, money
laundering, and other crimes. See H. R. Rep. No. 91–975,
pp. 12–13 (1970). Likewise, tax evaders were using cash
exports to dodge hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes
owed to the Government. See ibid.

The Court does not deny the importance of these interests
but claims they are not implicated here because respondent
managed to disprove any link to other crimes. Here, to be
sure, the Government had no afﬁrmative proof that the
money was from an illegal source or for an illegal purpose.
This will often be the case, however. By its very nature,
money laundering is difﬁcult to prove; for if the money laun-
derers have done their job, the money appears to be clean.
The point of the statute, which provides for even heavier
penalties if a second crime can be proved, is to mandate
forfeiture regardless. See 31 U. S. C. § 5322(b); 18 U. S. C.