Reading Room Document

Equitable Transfers of Forfeited Monies or Property

When the federal government makes an equitable transfer of forfeited monies or property to a state or local law enforcement agency, that transfer is more appropriately characterized as a conditional gift to the agency rather than as a formal contract between the federal government and the agency. If the state or local agency fails to use the transferred property for law enforcement purposes, the federal government may be able to pursue restitution of the property. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/20356/download.

April 19, 1994