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SB 1208: California’s Powerful New Crypto Forfeiture Law (and how victims can use it to get stolen crypto back from scammers).
California has enacted a significant new law aimed at helping victims recover cryptocurrency stolen through fraud. Senate Bill 1208 (SB 1208), signed into law on September 27, 2026, creates a whole new forfeiture procedure allowing California law enforcement and prosecutors to seize qualifying digital assets even when the people behind the fraud are overseas, unidentified, or otherwise beyond the reach of California criminal prosecution. (1) Under new Penal Code § 186.13, la
Isaac Safier
Oct 52 min read
Why Is My Crypto Frozen? I was told to contact USSS or FBI — What Happens Next?
You log into your crypto account expecting to move your funds. Instead, you see the message no investor wants to read: “Your account has been restricted.” Shortly afterward, the exchange tells you that federal law enforcement is involved and instructs you to contact a U.S. government email address — often connected to the United States Secret Service (USSS). If this just happened to you, do not assume you did anything wrong. But understand this: The federal government may alr
Isaac Safier
Jun 153 min read
How the Government Can Seize “Clean” Money From Your Bank Account — Even If It Can’t Trace a Single Dollar
When federal investigators pursue fraud cases, they often encounter a familiar obstacle: the person responsible may be located overseas, beyond the easy reach of U.S. law enforcement. But surprisingly, that does not always stop the government from recovering money. Under 18 U.S.C. § 984, the government has a powerful forfeiture tool that allows it to seize money from a bank account without proving that the exact dollars in the account came from criminal activity. Here’s why t
Isaac Safier
Jun 152 min read
Victim of Bitcoin scam? How to trace your losses to the "Largest Ever" ($15B) Seizure of Bitcoin.
On October 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the seizure of approximately 127,271 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at around $15 billion based on recent market prices, from Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, the founder and chairman of Prince Holding Group. (See: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/media/1416291/dl) This marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in DOJ history and is tied to allegations of a massive "pig-butchering" scam network involving forced labor comp
Isaac Safier
Oct 17, 20254 min read
How long can my bank freeze my account for investigation?
Until your bank account gets frozen, logging into online banking and seeing your balance might feel like something you take for granted. Banks usually make sure you have plenty of notice when they are updating their systems and getting into your account is typically only interrupted late at night during software updates. Access to your money seems like a given the rest of the time. But what happens if you try to log on, and your bank says your account has been frozen? How
Isaac Safier
Sep 17, 20255 min read
Navigating When Collisions Meet Confiscation
Car accidents are already stressful enough, without the added burden of vehicle confiscation. You may have sustained injuries that need...
Isaac Safier
May 25, 20232 min read
Do arrests affect hiring?
If you were arrested and it did not result in a conviction, meaning that the case was dropped before you ever went to court, you...
Isaac Safier
Mar 24, 20232 min read
One thing California has in common with Texas - No Exclusionary Rule for Civil Asset Forfeiture
If the exclusionary rules applies to a case, it means the defendant or claimant can make a motion under PC 1538.5 to suppress evidence...
Isaac Safier
Mar 23, 20232 min read
AB 2147 Freedom to Walk Act (California)
Effective January 1, 2023, Jaywalking has been decriminalized. No longer can individuals be detained, searched and cited for Jaywalking...
Isaac Safier
Mar 23, 20231 min read
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