Sunday, September 21, 2008

They could come for you next, if they chose

Another business victimized by the jack-booted thugs down at the BATFE:

"On February 27, 2008, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a federal search warrant on the business premises of Cavalry and on the private residence of its CEO, Shawn Nealon. We have immediately engaged legal counsel to resolve this matter with the federal government. Cavalry is confident that all its conduct has been lawful in carrying out its business activities. The Government has yet to share with the company details of the investigation or the cause precipitating the search warrant. Cavalry is cooperating with the federal investigation. To date, no accusations of wrongdoing have been filed against Cavalry or any of its employees regarding alleged illegal activity." (Emphases mine)

Here we are, 207 days later, and the company (as well as the public) still doesn't know squat about the supposed reasons for the raid, any evidence (or lack of it) supporting the warrant issuance or why the company's property was listed by the Feds in an asset forfeiture notification in the Wall Street Journal, without any local notification to the company. (The Journal is a New York City-based paper; Cavalry Arms is located in Gilbert, Arizona.)

To recap: A legitimate business had its valuable sales stock seized for reasons unknown and apparently never coming; no one has been arrested or had charges filed against them for close to 9 months after the all-important "evidence" was gathered; and the company now, after having been notified by sympathetic readers of a faraway newspaper, has to scramble to post a bond equaling 10% of the value of the items seized just to prevent them from being auctioned off from under them, and to secure the right to plead for their return if the so-called "investigation" doesn't produce evidence that a crime was committed?

This is yet more fuel that contributes mightily to the perception that the BATFE is a rogue government department, seemingly accountable to no one. The agency needs to be immediately investigated for this and other similar actions by its agents, and the whole place should be shut down for good if it is indeed found to be repeatedly abusing its law-enforcement powers in order to further its own agenda.

1 comment:

Andrew said...

This would be a very opportune time for Arizona Senator John McCain to work on behalf of his constituents to get their property returned and to put an end to these lawless actions.