Real Estate Seizures

Have You Been Threatened With Real Estate Seizure For An Alleged Crime?

When you're charged with a crime, you're confronted with stressful legal challenges and consequences. During times like these, the last thing you need is to have one of your most prized possessions taken away. If you’ve had your home, land, or commercial property seized for alleged crimes, you’re likely wondering what your legal options are. With a qualified lawyer to advise you, you’ll be able to gain a clear understanding of the path ahead.

Fighting a real estate seizure can be a complex and time-sensitive legal process. Unless you act quickly, your real estate could be seized within 20-30 days. What’s more, your real property can be seized based merely on a suspicion of its ties to criminal activity.

Protecting your real estate and fighting to get it back will require patience and decisive action. You’ll need help from a skilled professional who can unravel the legal complexities of an asset forfeiture and devise a strategy to win back your property.

Arnold Spencer: A Recognized Leader Among Real Estate Seizure Defense Lawyers

Arnold Spencer has over two decades of litigation experience prosecuting and defending cases involving asset seizures. His background as a former Assistant US Attorney handling fraud, money laundering and white-collar crimes has enriched his knowledge and understanding of the laws governing real estate seizures and how to approach them.

Throughout his tenure with the US Attorney's Office, Arnold Spencer prosecuted over 100 cases. During that time, he received the John Marshall Award, the highest honor an attorney in the Department of Justice can achieve for excellence. He has also been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2000, a peer rating that recognizes the top 5% of lawyers in each state for their professional achievement.

When your property is seized, you need a tenacious real estate seizure attorney like Arnold Spencer to guide you. He has successfully represented many clients just like you throughout the Dallas Metroplex and beyond. If you've never been a defendant in an asset seizure before, he will be there to advise you, tell you what needs to happen next, and what the possible outcomes are to expect. Rest assured that he will devise the best possible strategy to regain your property.

What Process Should You Expect From A Real Estate Seizure?

The process begins when a law enforcement agency suspects that your property has been used in the commission of a felony or was purchased with money obtained from a crime. If they have probable cause following a raid or investigation, they will seize the property. Unfortunately, you do not need to be convicted of a crime for this to happen.

The prosecutor will then file a judicial forfeiture naming the property as the defendant.

You will receive a Notice of Seizure and Intended Forfeiture, and you must respond within 20 days to request a hearing. If you fail to meet this deadline, you risk a default judgment authorizing the automatic seizure of your property.

At your hearing, the state must prove by a preponderance of the evidence (the low bar of “more likely than not”) that your real estate was connected to a crime. As the owner of the property, you can raise defenses to this charge. The most common defense is to claim you had no knowledge or reason to believe that the premises were used in or paid for by a crime.

If you succeed in your defense, your seized real estate will be returned to you. If the state prevails, your property is forfeited to the state. You can appeal the decision to a higher court.

Spencer & Associates: A Real Estate Seizure Law Firm With Solutions

Don’t fight your real estate seizure alone. Before you get bogged down in the confusing legalese of the forfeiture notice or the statutory requirements for challenging the seizure, consider the advantages of having a skilled real estate seizure lawyer by your side. Let Arnold Spencer devise a defense that will help you regain your property.

Take The First Step To Protect Yourself: Contact Spencer & Associates Today

You may not know where to start with your property seizure, but Attorney Arnold Spencer does. Call Spencer & Associates today at (214) 376-4441 or visit our contact page to schedule a free consultation.