Civil Forfeiture by John Oliver

Carrying large amounts of cash is not a crime, yet thousands of Americans who do so are being treated like criminals. Law enforcement officials are using civil forfeiture to seize the cash of domestic travelers at airports, like 24-year-old Charles Clarke. Charles had $11,000 seized at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport in 2014.

In February 2014, law enforcement officials took Charles’ entire life savings right before he was scheduled to board a flight, and they have kept his money for over a year. Now Charles has teamed up with the Institute for Justice, which has successfully represented property owners as part of its initiative to end civil forfeiture nationwide, to fight back in federal court.