Pennsylvania Asset Forfeiture Lawyer

Can You Get Your Assets Back After They Have Been Seized?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR ASSETS ARE SEIZED BY THE STATE?

If you have been charged with a serious crime, usually a drug-related crime, Pennsylvania may forfeit your assets—they can take your home, your vehicle or seize your money before ever convicting you of a crime.

In Pennsylvania, even if you have not been charged with a crime, and have not been involved with any criminal activity, you may still have your assets forfeited by police.

If the police believe your property has been used in a crime that someone else committed, they can still seize your property. This of course is catastrophic for innocent families who are kicked out of their home.

If this has happened to you or your family, you need to understand your rights and talk to someone who will help you fight to get your assets or your home back.

Justin Ketchel is an experienced asset forfeiture and cash seizure lawyer in Pennsylvania and can help you fight for your assets and money.

In Pennsylvania, you have only 30 days to file a petition to get your property back after forfeiture or else your property will be sold at auction. For that reason, it is important to contact a property seizure lawyer right away to fight to get it back.

Call Ketchel Law today for a free consultation about asset forfeiture: 412-456-1221

If you had your assets forfeited or cash seized, call Ketchel Law today. We will help you understand your legal situation and build a strong case to defend your rights and get your assets back.

OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL:
GETTING YOUR PROPERTY BACK

CALL KETCHEL LAW TODAY
412-456-1221 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

PROPERTY FORFEITURE LAWS IN PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania has imposed very tough restrictions in getting property back once it has been seized, especially in civil asset forfeitures. Cars and homes and commercial property are examples of forfeited property, but cash can also be seized.

If your home is forfeited, your family members and children may have only minimal time to collect their belongings before the house gets padlocked and reentry is impossible without a court order.

After a notice of asset forfeiture by the police, a person has only 30 days to file a petition to seek to get their property back. Otherwise, the property will become under ownership of Pennsylvania to sell or spend.

If a petition is filed, the prosecuting lawyers must prove that the seized property was linked to a crime in which it is lawful to forfeit the property. This is not a difficult task, since prosecutors do not have to prove that the property owner committed the crime, nor do they have to prove a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt. These laws are often extremely unfair, especially to people have not committed any crime, whatsoever, as is often the case.

If prosecutors are able to link the property to the crime, the defendant or property owner must then prove the property was lawfully obtained and lawfully used.

At Ketchel Law, our experienced Pittsburgh criminal lawyers will help you in filing a petition to get your home or property back, as well as file any court orders needed to allow you or your family back into the home.

Many times, innocent people are kicked out of their homes due to alleged criminal activity of another person residing in the home. Ketchel Law will fight to get you and your children safely back into your home.

OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL:
GETTING YOUR PROPERTY BACK

CALL KETCHEL LAW TODAY
412-456-1221 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

CASH SEIZURE IN PENNSYLVANIA

Having your cash seized in Pennsylvania, does not necessarily mean it was linked to a crime. You have a right to fight to get it back. It is not illegal to have a lot of cash on hand, no matter the amount.

Police may seize the money hoping to find traces of drugs or to be able to link it to drug trafficking or drug sales. They may take money without ever making an arrest or finding any drugs, which is a form of profiling in certain neighborhoods or travel routes.

An experienced attorney like Justin Ketchel can help you fight to reclaim your money.

CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE VS. CRIMINAL ASSET FORFEITURE

Pennsylvania civil asset forfeiture laws are some of the worst in the United States. Unlike criminal asset forfeiture, the civil law allows authorities to seize property without the owner ever being convicted or even charged. Unfortunately, the burden is on the property owner to prove their innocence.

Only in Allegheny County does a person have to be charged with an actual crime if their property is forfeited by the State.

In order to fight back and keep what is yours, call Ketchel Law today. We will go to court and fight for what is legally yours, the property owner.

OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL:
GETTING YOUR PROPERTY BACK

CALL KETCHEL LAW TODAY
412-456-1221 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

WHAT CAN AN ASSET FORFEITURE LAWYER DO FOR YOU?

At Ketchel Law, we will fully investigate your case to ensure that your rights have not been violated. If they are, we will take action to get back what is legally yours. We will examine every angle of your case and the circumstances surrounding your charges, if any were filed.

If you were arrested or charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver Drugs (PWID), it is possible that your Constitutional Rights were violated at the time of arrest or when officials searched the area where drugs were located. If police cannot prove probable cause and reasonable suspicion, evidence could be suppressed and your case could be dismissed.

At Ketchel Law, our number one goal is to have your case dismissed and charges withdrawn and your property returned. If that is not possible, there are numerous ways of attempting a reduction in sentencing such as probation vs. jail.

OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL:
GETTING YOUR PROPERTY BACK

CALL KETCHEL LAW TODAY
412-456-1221 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

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