While their legal saga began as a civil forfeiture case, the IRS has now decided to pursue criminal forfeiture against them. Civil forfeiture has long been an issue among activists who see it as a violation of property owners' rights. Unlike in criminal trials, where suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty, property owners must often prove their innocence in civil forfeiture cases. Hours after the suit was filed, the IRS said it would finally give the Vocaturas their money back. Another piece of legislation proposed this week would specifically address civil forfeiture in structuring cases.

Source: Huffington Post May 25, 2016 09:18 UTC