The battle over cryptocurrency recovery in the BTCe forfeiture case has escalated after a new filing from MtGox trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi. On August 20, 2025, Kobayashi submitted a verified claim in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asserting that Bitcoin seized from BTCe by federal authorities includes coins stolen from MtGox prior…
Victims of BTC-e Crypto Forfeiture Have Only 60 Days from 7/4/2025 to File! Since August 2017, when all cryptocurrency was seized from Alexander Vinnik’s BTC-e platform, innocent investors worldwide have struggled to file a claim to recover their property. San Diego Defenders – Forfeiture Law Firm can help. Our firm is actively accepting cases with…
Traveling with Cash and Airport Seizures by U.S. Customs (CBP) Recent discourse on airport security and new equipment updates by Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has been highlighted, but there is little focus on the risks associated with traveling with cash. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have confiscated nearly…
The beginning of President Trump’s second term includes a strict immigration policy and increased presence at the southern border. If you are undocumented or have undocumented parents, you may be wondering: will this change in attitude impact my ability to get my seized cash, car, or property back? The answer is no! Whether you are…
In Brownsville, Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection performed a secondary inspection on a 2020 Mitsubishi while crossing into the United States at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge. Here, CBP discovered three live monkeys the driver concealed, leading them to seize the vehicle. In the CBP local media release below, Roderick Kise outlines the…
Crossing the border into Mexico with cash, whether for medical or dental procedures is a common practice. But what happens if someone neglects to file a FinCEN form? Can US Customs seize their cash? To understand the situation, let’s look into what the FinCEN form entails. FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) operates under the United…
Many clients ask us at San Diego Defenders’ Forfeiture Law Firm if they will be criminally charged if they try to get their car back after Border Patrol seizes it on suspicion of alien smuggling. If they were not charged at the time CBP detained them, we have never seen the US Customs and Border…
When your car is seized and impounded by U.S. Customs & Border Protection because they detained you or your family for suspicion of alien smuggling, you will receive a Notice of Seizure letter in the mail. The letter will include an Election of Proceedings. Basically, how do you want to try getting your vehicle…
Here are some examples of rejected/denied Petitions 5 to 9 months after our clients ignored our advice to NOT file a petition if they wanted to save money and get their vehicle back ASAP after the CBP impounded their car. It is too common for young adults to get their car taken after responding…
At San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm, we get a LOT of calls from people who want to get their car back from CBP after it has been seized. Some file a Petition that is REJECTED or DENIED. Some who file a Petition go 7 months, 9 months–it varies–and are still waiting for a…
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