Marine veteran Stephen Lara continues his fight against the abuse of civil forfeiture laws, three years after police seized his life savings during a traffic stop in Nevada.

Lara, a former Marine with 16 years of service, was pulled over in 2021 by the Nevada Highway Patrol for allegedly following a truck too closely. The officers then confiscated $87,000 in cash found in his vehicle, despite not charging him with any crime.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) eventually returned Lara’s money after seven months, but the Marine veteran is now focused on advocating for others who have experienced similar situations.

He is determined to see the end of civil forfeiture practices, where law enforcement agencies can seize assets without proving criminal activity​.

Lara’s case gained new momentum when a court recently denied Nevada’s motion to dismiss his lawsuit, which challenges the state’s forfeiture laws.

The ruling is seen as a small victory in Lara’s larger goal of preventing law enforcement from taking assets without due process. According to Lara, such actions undermine trust in the government, particularly when agencies benefit financially from the assets they seize​.

Civil asset forfeiture has long been criticized for allowing law enforcement to take property without evidence of wrongdoing, leaving many individuals, like Lara, to fight costly legal battles to reclaim their money. Lara’s case has brought national attention to this issue, as he advocates for changes that would protect citizens’ constitutional rights​.

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