Father and daughter sue feds over $82,000 seized at Pittsburgh International
A retired railroad worker from South Fayette and his daughter in Massachusetts have sued two federal agencies and an agent in federal court in Pittsburgh, alleging that they illegally seized his life savings of $82,373 at Pittsburgh International Airport this summer and won't give it back. Terry Rolin, 79, and Rebecca Brown of Lowell, Mass., say in the suit against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Transportation Security Administration that the money was seized even though Mr. Rolin has not been charged with any crimes.
In August, Mr. Rolin entrusted Ms. Brown with the $82,000, which he said represents his and his parents' savings, so she could deposit it into a new joint bank account for him in Massachusetts. Mr. Rolin said his parents lived through the Depression and kept their money hidden at home instead of in banks and he did the same. But when he moved out of the family home and into an apartment he said he became uncomfortable with having so much cash on hand, so he decided to put it into an account.
Ms. Brown was visiting for the weekend in August to see her father and attend a family gathering and intended to fly back to Boston with the money in her purse on the morning of Aug. 26. She said she checked online and found that carrying cash on a flight is legal. She put the purse in her carry-on bag and didn't check any luggage. She said TSA screeners saw the cash on an X-ray and pulled the bag aside while a state trooper questioned her.
A DEA agent then told Ms. Brown that "your answers don't match" and took the cash. She boarded her flight without it and flew home to Boston. Months later, according to the suit, Mr. Rolin and Ms. Brown received notice that the DEA intended to keep the money through the civil forfeiture process.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2020/01/15/Father-and-daughter-sue-TSA-DEA-over-seized-82-000-pittsburgh-international-airport/stories/202001150141
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