Opinion ID: 4158229
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Post-Trial Forfeiture Hearing Proof

Text: The day after the jury returned its verdict, the trial court held a hearing on the forfeiture count of the indictment. At the beginning of this hearing, the State announced that the trial court had heard “90 percent of the proof” related to the forfeiture during the trial, but the State elected to present two additional witnesses. Phillip Taylor, a state investigator with the 20th Judicial District Drug Task Force, testified about his participation in the 2000 investigation into Son‟s drug trafficking activities, explaining that Son was stopped in February 2000, while in possession of drug records and $30,000 cash. Son‟s wife was stopped the same day and also had $30,000 cash in her vehicle. In July 2000, law enforcement authorities linked Son to a rental truck containing 2,600 pounds of marijuana through statements of co-conspirators and Son‟s wife. In August 2000, law enforcement authorities also seized 2,200 pounds of marijuana from a van in Son‟s possession, and during the arrest, seized $25,000 cash from Sonʼs person. After officers seized the van in August 2000, they searched the defendantʼs residence pursuant to a warrant and found an ammunition can containing a plastic bag with $112,000 cash. Written on the outside of the bag were “C.T. $200,000.” The ammunition can was caked with mud. Law enforcement authorities had heard that more money was buried on the 4571 Dugger Road property, but they were unable to locate it during the 2000 search. As a result of that investigation, however, the defendant pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to sell more than seventy pounds of marijuana. Son also pled guilty to multiple charges and was incarcerated as a result of those convictions until June 2011. Lieutenant Doelle testified about several items of personal property that were seized during the April 24, 2012 search of the 4571 Dugger Road property. The trial court had instructed him not to mention any of these seized items, all purchased before 2004, in his trial testimony. The items included a car, trucks, and two tractors. Lieutenant Doelle acknowledged that he had no evidence that any of this property was acquired by the defendant in violation of any statute. He also stated that smaller items of personal property, in addition to those mentioned at trial, had been seized as well, as had two of the defendant‟s bank accounts—one containing approximately $20,000 and the other approximately $27,000. When questioned about monthly Social Security checks that had been deposited into the account containing $27,000 and the defendant‟s earnings from his hay business, Lieutenant Doelle expressed his belief that the account contained drug proceeds comingled with legitimate monies, but he was not able to track any drug funds to that account. Although he believed all of the personal property officers seized had been purchased or maintained with proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs, he was unable to identify any specific drug transactions from which the proceeds derived. He - 37 - described the ammunition can found in the Civic as covered in dirt and appearing to have been buried in the ground, much like the ammunition can officers seized in 2000. Lieutenant Doelle conceded that he did not know when the defendant acquired or received the cash, nor did he know of any specific drug transactions that resulted in the defendant acquiring the currency. However, he stated that the defendant had not acquired the cash found in the Civic within the last five years, although it appeared the defendant had placed the ammunition can in the Civic during that time so he could more readily access the money. While he acknowledged that the money found in the Civic was comprised entirely of bills issued before the year 2000, he was unsure whether the money found inside the defendant‟s residence was also comprised of currency issued before 2000. Lieutenant Doelle opined that it would take an entire lifetime to save $1,000,000 from social security or farming revenue, even for a person with no expenses.