{"id":2045097,"date":"2023-09-26T12:42:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T16:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-sued-after-allegedly-losing-valuable-rare-coins-it-seized-during-raid\/"},"modified":"2023-09-26T12:45:49","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T16:45:49","slug":"fbi-sued-after-allegedly-losing-valuable-rare-coins-it-seized-during-raid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-sued-after-allegedly-losing-valuable-rare-coins-it-seized-during-raid\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI sued for losing seized rare coins in raid."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffbi-sued-after-allegedly-losing-valuable-rare-coins-it-seized-during-raid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2045097&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>The FBI is facing \u2062a \u200blawsuit \u200dafter seizing the contents of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-seized-86-million-in-raid-on-innocent-americans-safe-boxes-after-duping-judge-for-warrant\/\" title=\"FBI Seized  Million In Raid On Innocent Americans\u2019 Safe Boxes After Duping Judge For Warrant\">safe deposit boxes<\/a> \u2063and allegedly failing to return everything it took.<\/p>\n<p>Donald Mellein had 110 gold coins stored in one of the boxes.\u200c Initially, the FBI claimed they didn&#8217;t have \u2063the coins, but Mr. Mellein&#8217;s legal action forced them to admit they had 47 of them.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bFBI returned \u2064the coins, but they still haven&#8217;t returned the\u2062 remaining\u2062 63, which are valued at around $123,419, according to one of the lawsuits.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/menendez-says-money-from-home-seized-by-fbi-was-personal-savings-5497946?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Sen.\u2064 Menendez Says Money From Home Seized by FBI Was Personal Savings<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/25\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/menendez-says-money-from-home-seized-by-fbi-was-personal-savings-5497946?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/fbi-had-multiple-informants-in-jan-6-crowd-former-director-5495105?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>FBI Had Multiple\u2064 Informants in Jan. 6 Crowd: Former Official<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/20\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/fbi-had-multiple-informants-in-jan-6-crowd-former-director-5495105?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Don\u2019s gold coins\u2064 were completely\u2063 secure\u2062 until FBI agents broke open the safe-deposit box\u200c looking for \u200dproperty that could \u2064be forfeited. Their disappearance can only be explained by the acts or omissions of the FBI agents who broke into\u200b the box and rummaged through it. The FBI never should have broken into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-seized-86-million-in-private-assets-after-deceiving-magistrate-to-obtain-search-warrant\/\" title=\"FBI Seized  Million in Private Assets After Deceiving Magistrate to Obtain Search Warrant\">safe-deposit boxes<\/a> in the\u200c first place \u2063but, once it did, it\u2064 became responsible for returning everything it\u200d had custody of, \u2064unless it had a lawful reason to\u200b keep\u200b it,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23990915-donald-mellein-suit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the suit<\/a>, filed in U.S. court in California,\u2063 states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote><p>Jeni \u200dPearsons and Michael Storc had silver and cash stored in \u2063another box. The FBI attempted to keep the\u2064 items \u2063but eventually gave\u200b up. They returned the $20,000 in silver but kept $2,000 in cash, according\u2062 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23990917-jeni-pearsons-and-michael-storc-suit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">another lawsuit<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>In both \u200dcases, the FBI\u2063 denies\u200b any \u2064responsibility, claiming there is &#8220;no evidence\u200d of \u2062negligence or \u2063wrongful acts on the \u2064part of any \u200bFBI employee.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Jeni and Michael have the right to have their cash returned or be compensated for its loss, regardless of whether they can prove any wrongdoing or negligence by an FBI employee. Regardless \u200bof the reason for the cash disappearing, the government is obligated to either return it or provide compensation,&#8221; states the other\u200d lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI has declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, referring to a previous statement regarding a \u2064ruling that found no \u2064misconduct by agents investigating U.S. Private\u2064 Vaults.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064plaintiffs, represented by lawyers from\u2064 the Institute of Justice, are seeking damages and challenging\u2064 the constitutionality of\u2063 federal law as applied by the FBI in these raids.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cIf regular people are held accountable for stealing or losing your \u200bproperty, then the government should \u2062be held \u2062accountable too,\u201d said Joe Gay, an attorney at the institute. \u201cDon, Jeni, and Michael did\u2062 nothing\u2062 wrong. \u2062The government should never have broken into their safe-deposit boxes, but once they did, they became responsible for safeguarding their property. If they refuse to return it, there must be legal consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>More Background<\/h2>\n<p>The FBI obtained warrants \u2064to search U.S. Private Vaults, a facility in Beverly Hills\u2063 that housed over 1,000 safe deposit boxes, on March 22, 2021. The FBI suspected the business of \u2063criminal activities.<\/p>\n<p>In the warrant applications,\u2062 FBI officials assured that they would \u2063take custody of the safe deposit boxes and their contents, promising to \u200dprotect and return them to their owners. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-fbi-official-says-trump-could-sue-bureau-after-mar-a-lago-raid\/\" title=\"Former FBI Official Says Trump Could Sue Bureau after Mar-a-Lago Raid\">warrant authorized agents<\/a> to inventory\u2064 the boxes to ensure their safety and \u200didentify\u2064 owners for the return of their property.<\/p>\n<p>However, during depositions, an FBI official\u2062 revealed that the government\u2062 intended to keep some contents worth at \u2063least $5,000. The FBI sought evidence to support their decision, such as claiming money &#8220;smelled like drugs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Lynne Zellhart, the FBI official, admitted that\u2064 there were no video recordings of agents breaking into\u2062 some of\u2062 the boxes, stating that &#8220;reality got in the way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Detailed inventories of the boxes were not properly\u2062 documented, with agents focused on processing them quickly.\u2063 Vague\u200b descriptions like &#8220;miscellaneous general items&#8221; were used in several instances. The inventory forms for Mr. Mellein&#8217;s box \u2062did\u200c not mention the 110 gold coins, as stated in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Mellein applied to retrieve his property and received a notice of forfeiture proceedings, which outlined the government&#8217;s intent \u200cto \u2062keep his cash and a\u2063 gold bar found in his box. His lawyers convinced the FBI to abandon this effort, resulting in the return \u200cof the cash and gold bar.<\/p>\n<p>However, their \u200cattempts to\u200c recover \u200cthe remaining coins were unsuccessful, leading\u200c to the filing of \u2063a lawsuit. The government then claimed to have &#8220;found&#8221; 47 coins but could not locate the others.\u2063 Mr.\u200c Mellein withdrew his suit and submitted an administrative claim, which was rejected.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Pearsons and Mr. Storc went through \u200ba similar ordeal. They received \u2062their silver back but not the cash stored in the box.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Mellein expressed his disappointment, stating, &#8220;The FBI had\u200c no reason to go through my box, and they were careless \u200bin losing my savings. For months, I was told\u200b they\u2064 didn&#8217;t\u2062 have any of my\u200b coins before they eventually \u2063found some of them. It&#8217;s frustrating that \u2062I\u200b have to sue\u2063 again just to reclaim property that should have been returned to me over two years\u2064 ago.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Pearsons\u2062 added, &#8220;We&#8217;re not only fighting for our money \u200dbut also to hold the government accountable \u200bwhen\u200d it seizes and then loses or\u200b steals people&#8217;s property.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>Lack of accountability regarding seized items\u2062 raises several questions about their handling of evidence. Some possible questions could be:<\/h2>\n<p><span>  BI agent testified that the agency did not have a plan to quickly return the seized\u2063 items to their owners. It was\u200d also revealed \u200bthat the FBI did not have a\u200b system in place\u200b to properly track and document\u2063 the contents of the seized boxes.<\/p>\n<p>This lack \u200dof accountability and negligence on the part of\u200c the FBI has resulted in numerous individuals losing their valuable possessions, including gold coins, silver, and cash. The FBI&#8217;s failure to return these items has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-sued-after-allegedly-losing-valuable-rare-coins-it-seized-during-raid\/\" title=\"FBI sued for losing seized rare coins in raid.\">caused \u200csignificant financial<\/a> and emotional distress for the \u200caffected individuals.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuits filed by Donald Mellein, Jeni Pearsons, Michael Storc, and others against\u2064 the FBI highlight the agency&#8217;s disregard for the rights\u2063 and property of \u200dAmerican citizens. The plaintiffs argue that the FBI had no lawful reason to seize their safe deposit boxes in the first \u2062place, and therefore, should be held responsible for returning all the seized\u200b items.<\/p>\n<p>The suit filed by Donald Mellein asserts that the FBI agents broke into the safe\u200b deposit\u2064 box without any \u2063justification and rifled through its contents. The disappearance of Mellein&#8217;s gold coins can only \u200cbe attributed to\u2064 the actions or omissions of the FBI agents involved. The\u2063 suit argues that once the FBI unlawfully entered the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-senator-robert-menendez-indicted-on-bribery-charges\/\" title=\"Democrat Senator Menendez indicted for bribery.\">safe deposit box<\/a>, it became responsible\u2062 for returning everything it had custody of.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, Jeni Pearsons and Michael Storc&#8217;s lawsuit highlights the FBI&#8217;s\u2062 attempted seizure of their silver and cash. While the FBI eventually returned the silver, they kept $2,000 in cash without any legal justification. The suit argues that\u200d regardless of the reason for the cash disappearing, the government \u200dis obligated to either return it or provide compensation.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI&#8217;s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The FBI faces a lawsuit for not returning all seized items from safe deposit boxes. Donald Mellein&#8217;s legal action revealed the agency initially denied having his 110 gold coins, but later admitted to possessing them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":2045098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2045097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2045097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2045098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2045097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2045097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2045097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}