FBI Raid of Private Safety Deposit Boxes in 2021
Tuesday, January 27, 2024 The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FBI raid was unlawful in March 2021, when it searched renters’ private safe deposit boxes in Beverly Hills, conducted illegal searches, and tried to permanently keep everything in the boxes of significant value without charging any of the box renters with a crime. The entire vault was raided and property was seized.
US Private Vaults, or USPV, who provided safe deposit boxes without requiring identification was investigated by the FBI. The FBI had been investigating individual USPV customers, but decided their big target was USPV, which they believed assisted money laundering.
The warrant which authorized the raid only permitted the FBI to open boxes to identify their owners and safeguard the contents. Instead, agents went through hundreds of boxes, checked currency for drugs, and made copies of people’s private records.
The Justice Department filed a massive administrative forfeiture claim to seize more than $100 million in currency and other valuables, without charging any individual with a crime.
Paul and Jennifer Snitko were two of FBI's victims, who used their USPV box to store legal documents, and various items of monetary and sentimental value. The Snitkos used USPV because they would have had to wait to obtain a safe deposit box at their local bank.
Joseph Ruiz was another FBI victim. He had stored $57,000 in cash in his box and used USPV because he was worried that “the COVID pandemic would make it impossible for [him] to withdraw [his] funds from a bank account.”
The FBI initially refused to return the property to their victims, but the FBI changed course and gave back the stolen items after the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in June 2021.
Fourth Amendment Upheld
A district court ruled that the FBI search was legal, but the 9th Circuit recently reversed that ruling.
Source: Activist Post
