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any large amounts of United States
currency in the vehicle how much money
you got in
there okay this marks the very moment
when police pulled over a combat veteran
and took his entire life savings he say
it's $100,000 it's in a um uh ziplock
sandwich baggie must to had your ears
burning because I was complaining about
not having enough hundreds in my
drawer on February 19th 2021 a retired
Marine is pulled over by the Nevada
Highway Patrol when he makes a bizarre
confession leading officers straight to
a huge stack of cash as surprising as
this is the events that follow will
prove to be even more shocking resulting
in intense public scrutiny and a lawsuit
that plans to challenge the American
legal system there you
go driver of this vehicle was balling
that red and blue semiu closely less
than a second following distance also
driving under this people to stop them
up here lost make sure everything's okay
Officer Chris Brown pulls Over Steven
Lara of lck Texas Travel
appearance hey good morning Trooper
Brown Dev trol how are you today I'm
doing great hey the reason I'm stopping
we have a special enforcement campaign
going on we're trying to educate drivers
about violations they may not realize
they're committing but we're seeing a
big increase in crashes out here first
applaud you on your driving you're Drive
great you're driving really slow it
appears that you're driving trying to
drive safely under the speed limit I
appreciate that out I just want to talk
about your following distance especially
around commercial vehicles came up
behind a a red and blue tanker truck a
little bit too close behind him and you
got you got to navigate that you got
your driver's license with you sir
awesome I appreciate you by the way yeah
I appreciate that man do you have a
registration C with you uh well a rental
car here okay so I do have my rent if
you don't bu it's underneath okay yeah
that's fine any weapons in the vehicle
oh perfect yeah yeah if you grab the be
great man Steven tells the trooper that
he's going to Porta California to visit
his daughters for the weekend before
heading back down to Texas he answers
all of Trooper Brown's questions without
hesitation and appears to be in good
spirits completely unaware that this
seemingly average traffic stop will soon
transform into an allout nightmare you
said your daughter lives up in Porta oh
two daughters okay they both up in Porta
yes come on over here man all right you
a
fighter fighter yeah you got Tap Out
shirt on well I've got a lot of training
I'm a retired Marine okay
nice what' you do for the court well I
was a uh well data Chief initially but
then they changed the MOs to uh cyber
security Chief okay when did you get out
of the Corp I got out about two years
ago give me a second man all right hang
right there ever been in trouble law
enforcement before never okay while
Trooper Brown radio Zen Steven's
information Steven truthfully answers
all the questions about his job hotel
reservations and weekend plans however
Steven will soon find out that this
light-hearted chat might not be as
innocent as it seem seems as Trooper
Brown is about to reveal that an unsafe
following distance may not have been the
only reason he was pulled over hey why
I'm working on this let me ask you
something this going to sound kind of
weird part of my job out here is I do
what's called Highway interdiction I
look for people that are smuggling
Contraband through our state across the
country uh weapons humans drugs illicit
currency things like that anything in
the vehicle I should be aware of okay no
no firearms no explosives okay is there
any drugs in the vehicle cocaine I don't
think yeah I got to ask all these silly
questions
right okay um any large amounts of
United States currency in the
vehicle okay what's a large amount of US
currency to
you 10,000 okay so there's over 10,000
in there okay how much money you got in
there
okay fair enough fair enough would you
give me permission to search your
vehicle today
that's okay with you okay
perfect regardless of one's belief in
their own innocence it's advisable to
not consent to a search of one's vehicle
under any circumstances although he has
the right to refuse Steven voluntarily
agrees to let the trooper search his car
completely unaware of just how much he
will come to regret that decision as
Trooper Brown gets the paperwork ready
Trooper EJ tuman noal arrives on the
scene out this way
come out to see my daughters all right
out here in Reno up out here in
Reno well California they doing okay I
know you guys are suspicious asking lots
of questions so you can get to yeah I
I'm not really worried about anything so
I'll give you information any
information you want but as Trooper
Brown gives Steven the paperwork to read
and sign Trooper to manova heads to his
vehicle to get his sniffer dog Jill
nicknamed Jilly Bean to see if she finds
anything
suspicious pretty girl we go play
while some dogs sit to Signal a positive
hit other dogs are trained to freeze
just as it appears Jill does while
searching the car after letting Trooper
Brown know it was a positive alert
Trooper Brown searches the contents of
the trunk when he comes across a camo
backpack meanwhile Steven drops a
bombshell on the trooper when he reveals
just how much a lot of cash really means
you guys do this to everybody
or I just I just stopped out with
you our job is to look for traffickers
I'm not saying you are or I'm a retired
yeah like like I said I don't know I was
just called here to the help out must be
the hair is it I don't know I almost got
the same if I put it down I don't know
going to find a large amount of cash in
there is he that's okay cuz I got my
receipts in there too so how much cash a
lot he he said there's a large amount of
cash in there I already told him oh did
you okay cool but in the same bag you're
going to find all my all my Bank of
America and all my receipts I don't
trust bank keep cash oh do you okay I
don't have anything to hire from you
guys and I know it's not illegal to keep
a large amount of cash either so nope
not at all how much cash you
got probably about 100 Grand 100
Grand have you ever been stopped before
and had money taken from you from the
government um no no I know you guys it's
not illegal to have a large amount of
cash either no not at all nothing's
wrong with that we this is Reno so we
get people coming with a large amount of
cash all the time to go gamble and so i'
have a problem with you taking my cash
because it is mine it's I do have proof
that it's mine Trooper to manova shows
an interest in the tire sitting in the
trunk of Steven's rental car what's in
the
tire C room I'm getting it repaired over
here are you yeah you guys can cut that
tire up and look inside if you want but
I would ask yall reimburse before right
right oh yeah the state would if we did
it if it came to that we have um items
that we can check first before you
enough get to that whatever you need to
do Trooper Brown makes a call to someone
who according to court documents is DEA
agent Shane Murray hey Shane how are you
good hey can you head out to a drive and
stop or you busy on that other stuff
nowday so if I'm still searching a car
but a big bundle of money it says
probably at least 100,000 after telling
agent Murray their location Trooper
Brown continues to search the contents
of the trunk hey Brown you just got
something to tell you about the like
suspicious that Rim is PR you grab my
phone which is in the park and you look
at the last number I di just hit I won't
even touch the phone you'll see that
there's a place up here in Reno that
fixes crack rims okay and they'll pick
up and all you got to do is identify it
and you'll see that I was trying to take
that in to get that crack room fish I
crack it in Texas cuz it's snowing the
RO
and there's big po holes and everything
so I'm just trying to get it fixed
because I know the place up here that
fixes it and that's all I was trying to
appreciate that sir no worries
unfortunately for Steven despite his
Assurance Trooper Brown is still unsure
of him this doesn't make
sense there's some receipts in here
though but he said he put
receipts money okay
[Applause]
but hi so here here's the deal all right
I think you're a good guy I'm a good guy
how so how much cash is that 100 Grand
under so as you know right I I'm a vet
he's a vet you're a vet it's not illegal
to carry
have it does though make us ask some
questions on why someone has 100,000 I
can understand why you don't trust Banks
especially in this day and age right now
discipling lots of savings what's that
disciplining lots of savings so with
that being said I if you're willing to
talk to me about it a little bit I'd
like that I know you got a bunch of
receipts in there um I just want to make
sure that it is your currency that it's
not being used for nefarious activities
right it's not moneya laundering or
something like that going on um that
that's the questions that it raised that
potentially money laundry or something
like that so that money right there is
for my two daughters okay you going to
give it to them on this trip or no or
that's just your nuts that's my money
and my two my two daughters money and
nobody else's okay I take that money
right here and I buy them things I put
food on the table I buy them clothes
with
that that's that's me looking at you
manto man in your eyes and telling you
exactly what that is perfect okay yeah
um I still I got some questions I'm
going to want to ask few minut if you
willing to to answer him i' appreciate
that I have nothing to hide from you
after Steven agrees to further
questioning Trooper Brown reaches out to
his Sergeant Glenn rigon to update him
on how things are progressing it's a
strange one but not a strange one um
consent to to a search said there's
money up there we located what he says
it's $100,000 it's in a um uh Ziploc
sandwich baggie although it's not known
what agent Murray says to Trooper Brown
the call only lasts for about 40 seconds
and Trooper Brown informs him that he
will start a brief with him likely
referring to Steven hey
stepen St you don't any weapons on you
right I know you're you mind if I just
patch down real quick my car real quick
man man do me a favor have a seat my
as with all other previous requests made
by officers this is something Steven is
more than willing to go along with
because as he puts it he has nothing to
hide unfortunately however he still
doesn't seem to realize that the more he
agrees to go along with their requests
the deeper the hole he has dug for
himself will grow now that Steven is
aware of his rights Trooper Brown can
finally begin the questioning process so
what is the source of the currency that
you have there
sources in how do I make my money yeah
I'm a retired US
Marine I get money from the VA for my
disability and it's money that I have
earned from my
employment my
job doing it work for a hospital sure
why do you transport FK currency like
that well there's nothing illegal about
it no it's uh I keep it on my person and
I secure it okay so for security I Don't
Trust Banks that's why I have large
amount of currency there with all the
receipts which I keep in there for this
type of purpose in case anybody
questions it and if those receipts get
looked into you'll see that those are my
accounts that those that those deposits
are made for all those withdrawals are
made for Steven goes on to inform the
trooper that he owns a debit card and
only uses banks for direct deposits
before he answers even more questions
about the money is there any reason that
you can think of that a trained drug
detection canine would alert to the
presence of drug odor coming from that
vehicle no okay like I said I gave you a
consensus search for vehicle I have
nothing to hide so okay if you're the
dog alerted you guys I can't tell you
where it's coming from cuz I don't do
that stuff okay or do I have it that is
a rental car so I don't know I I can't
control what happened before I got it
fair enough can't control what happens
after I drop it off in cases such as
this one if officers persist in
questioning it's typically because they
lack sufficient evidence and are seeking
information that could be used against
the individual at this juncture it's
crucial to cease further communication
and seek legal representation Steven is
being fully Cooperative here and yet the
treatment he gets is contrary to law
enforcement's claims that cooperation
would prevent such actions if the
currency was to be utilized for a
business transaction personal personal
purchase um is it going to be used for
any of those or is this just your
savings it's my savings and I plan on
Buy buying you know getting a home okay
uh for my daughter's and I in Texas okay
so you're planning to use that to buy a
home in Texas yes absolutely although
Steven has been an open book throughout
this entire process Trooper Tuma NOA is
Keen to take Steven's amenability a step
further Hey sir you said you're okay
with this's going with your
phone what do you want to go through my
phone what are you looking for trying to
verify everything's correct like you've
been telling us the only thing I'm
authorizing you guys to do is make the
last phone call I just to verify that I
was going to take that entire my you
know that rim to get feted okay but I me
I got personal pictures and stuff on
there I don't want you guys look
pictures I want both of your pictures if
you're okay with that yeah so I can look
at everything else with your
pictures that's fine okay despite any
officer's demeanor or apparent
friendliness it's imperative that one
refuses access to their cell phone in a
given situation as awkward as it must be
to have a stranger look through your
phone Steven has no idea how much more
uncomfortable things will get but while
the questioning comes to a close
Sergeant Rigden pulls up to the scene
where he can be heard taking a call from
DEA agent Murray what's up Shane there
was just no way I make it out there no
issues it's too easy to do an adoption
you know we contacted you so I think
everything's going to be okay um and
I'll I'll text you the the money count
after we get it'll probably be a couple
hours for those who are unaware adoption
refers to the proc process of property
seizure by law enforcement agencies is
permitted by the US Department of
Justice's Equitable sharing program when
an adoption takes place the Federal
agency keeps 20% of the proceeds whilst
the remaining 80% kicks back to the
state or local agency which is in this
case the Nevada Highway Patrol so here's
the money he has a ton of
receipts he he's in the military gets
the VA money was he in the M for yeah
yeah that's room for backpack
pictures I think yeah I'll it on the car
done while processing this information
Sergeant Rigden briefly examines a bag
of money grams and what appears to be
money orders B is
1246 having finished questioning Steven
Trooper Brown asked Trooper T man NOA to
hang out with Steven so he can share his
findings with Sergeant Rigden and his
balances never
no balances on all
these These are 2019 I mean there's not
a lot in there since the arrival of
Sergeant Rigden Steven appears slightly
agitated perhaps finally realizing just
how out of control this situation has
gotten despite his frustrations Steven
still manages to keep us cool unaware
that Sergeant Rigden is about to test
his patients even further
I know if you don't
talk a little frustrated man because I'm
being treated like a criminal right now
and it's not your fault they said a lot
of bad experience in p i get it it's
very very odd to carry 100K in cash like
that yeah but it's not it's not IL legal
but you're I I can understand I can
understand your perspective and and he's
been everybody's been very professional
I didn't have anything to hide that's
why I let to start my vehicle yeah you
know so I
mean um I told the gentleman here I
don't trust Banks but you have five
different banks you deal with you got
Wells Fargo you got plumis Bank you got
um the Bank of America and then there's
one other Bank in there so I mean you do
Trust Banks well no I don't because if
you look at my direct deposit has to
come to a bank too sure it does it goes
to Bank of America but if you look at my
Banks there's no money in it that's why
those receipts that's why I keep them so
if you call the banks and you ask come
and and I'll call them right now or I I
can show you what's in my bank accounts
despite Steven's conviction he'll soon
learned that no amount of reasoning will
help him out of this situation so why
why the distrust with the banking system
I just don't trust them yeah that's just
that's just my it's my reasoning it's my
personal thing oh I'm not trying to
convince you one way or the other it's
just it's it's not usual understand and
so we're looking for the
[Music]
unusual with the uh currency and stuff I
mean somebody rip you off or I mean you
look like you could take care of
yourself in a fight but you know yeah I
don't I wouldn't give up going around
the cash well I mean I can see I can
understand where you're coming from I
mean how long did it take you to
accumulate that much oh god um it's
started saving
since started saving since I on the r 20
years how come it's all
hundreds so I don't have to keep
more I if I if those were all ones my
God I'd have to you know more yeah we
usually I can
it's actually a cool trick so one bill
weighs one gram so if you weigh that and
get the grams and you multiply by 100
you can tell by we roughly what it is oh
that's cool I didn't know that so you
can like weigh your money and watch it
grow um there something new every day
it's uh it's very very
odd um we're going to do a little bit
further investigation on it and uh and
you'll be on your way very soon
so after Express his suspicions to
Steven Sergeant Rigden consults Trooper
Brown giving him an opportunity to share
his opinion on the matter at hand what
are your thoughts GIS I kind ofing more
towards
um it's odd but it's odd but it's not
packed like normal no and and he's
answering the questions there's there's
receipts here and and I would like to
put I would like to put um the dog on
the currency man okay yeah I mean
everything everything lines as OD as it
is everything windes up with the travel
story and stuff like that and I'm going
to get out my scale and the way that
Sergeant Rigden requests the assistance
of a second sniffer dog this time
Trooper Brown uses his own dog to detect
the bag of
[Applause]
money trer Brown's dog has just given a
positive hit on the bag of money however
it should be noted that according to a
comprehensive review by the Journal of
forensic Sciences several Studies have
shown that between 67 and 100% of
circulated US currency is contaminated
with cocaine leading them to the
conclusion that a positive canine alert
to US currency is not sufficiently
reliable to determine that currency was
used in an illicit drug
transaction POS
alert
H okay with the go-ahead from his
Sergeant to begin the adoption Trooper
Brown walks to his truck to get a bank
bag meanwhile Steven looks noticeably
more ancy as he seems to realize where
this is headed so no the cash is not
there anymore where's it at the S took
it they did a secondary snip just little
spot I don't know what happened with
that everything is on camera
okay I'm just asking cuz that's my money
hey I
get soon the sheriff arrives and is
caught up on the situation we got a
positive alert on the currency by itself
um they had a positive alert on the car
right now we just trying to determine
whether or not it was proceeds I believe
it is
proceeds it is a big
brick and they're not old bills claims
he claims been he claims has been saving
it up over 20
years
no no those are all current bills so
good but they just it's just his traic
plans are consistent with what we see
with the drug
traffickers so how much is in there
about 100,000 about 100,000 that money
has not been saved up over 20 years it's
newer bills so they're not 20-year- old
bills and it's not 100,000 okay well I'm
guessing um so that's my life savings I
have been saving since I'm went in the
Marine car which is in 2000 so that I've
been saving since for the last 20 years
love it what we're going to do I believe
there drug dog alerted to it drug proes
yeah it's very common sir we get people
that are trafficking Mar large PLS of
marijuana from Northern California all
states east even from Marino sir I can
tell you right now there I'm going to
tell you what's going to happen Okay
we're going to seiz it today but that
doesn't mean we're the final judgment on
it it's going to go through the D da
okay so the DEA will contact you and the
DEA will will provide you with a means
to um to fight it you're going to have
to provide your your pay outs you're
going to have to provide your other
receipts stuff like that okay after
receiving this distressing news Steven
desperately tries to convince Sergeant
Rigden of his innocence one last time
not realizing that his mind has already
been made up so if you take that money I
don't have any money for me and my kids
this weekend I don't have anything you
got a wallet on you no my my jacket's in
the car okay I don't have anything you
don't have wallet where do you keep your
identifications it's in my jacket
okay I'm telling you God is my witness
now I'm I'm a retired Marine I don't
have any reason to do drugs or anything
like that that's my life savings right
there for me and my daughters I respect
your service sir I serve as well okay
um I have got to stuff that they
shouldn't be doing and they go to jail
for whatever they're doing not that's
not me so
no
you're who you
are doesn't influence whether or not we
take action on what we see okay if it is
legitimately earned
income you're going to be able to
provide those pay STS and they'll
they'll uh they'll give you all your
money
back but I believe it's drug Pro it's
not drug Pro sir I'm telling you right
now it's not I don't do drugs
yet you want to do a drug test today
let's do a drug test
I'm okay with that you know what a lot
of drug trackers use I don't I don't
know anything about drug traff I don't
know I don't know what she knows a lot
of drug trafficers watch these people
with AB no criminal history a guy with a
long drug history drug trafficking
history is not going to be the one
transporting the currency or
transporting the the drugs and Sh here's
the thing that money in there is like I
said that money is my life I'd like to
go real you you want to take it okay I'm
going to give me an
attorney I want to know exactly how much
you're taking I'll tell you what it wait
out as no I want I would like to go bill
by Bill no we're not going bill by Bill
what you'll see is you'll see a seal it
into a bag okay into a bank bag can I
take a picture of that yeah um I'd like
to take a picture of it as his reality
comes crashing down Steven while still
remaining respectful becomes more firm a
development which appears to take the
sergeant back slightly do you mind if I
take a video of it being
Sil I'd like to do that I think you know
what you're on video right now and we'll
give you the Lo case number and you can
request that information you can request
the entire recording this entire stop
everything that we did so
okay totally Cooperative with you guys
appreciate that sir there's a receip
down there on the ground I believe
that's hey dve can you pick up that
piece of
paper
y throughout this incident Steven was
under no obligation to answer all of
their questions it's evident that his
willingness to cooperate was being
exploited and instead of acknowledging
his innocence the officers attempted to
utilize his responses as a pretext to
seek justification for seizing the cash
as Steven is left with no choice but to
come to terms with what happened Trooper
Brown has been busy bagging up his life
savings but before he sent on his way
Steven has some parting words for
Trooper Brown let know know you're just
doing job money that I have in my jacket
is
only to for my
kids
Hotel no
waying get back to
Texas I know you're just doing what you
feel as best but like like you know my
sergeant sound like my sergeant talked
to you about about that a little bit
told you what was going
on those lines
W I just wanted to tell you officer BR I
me taking money out of my kid's Ms sorry
you're taking food out of my kid Ms like
I like I said we we believe right now
that this is drug proceed currency well
I'm going toe you that it's not perfect
after taking down names and badge
numbers Steven drives away likely still
reeling from that 90minut Whirlwind
shortly after sergeant Rigdon and
Trooper brown head over to the bank to
deposit the
cash that's
guys must to had your ears burning
because I was complaining about not
having enough hundreds in my
drawer the amount of money the Nevada
Highway Patrol seized from Steven turned
out to be
$86,900 Steven made good on his promise
to get an attorney and his case wound up
being taken on by The Institute for
justice a nonprofit advocating for
forfeiture reform and other issues they
consider abuses of government power
although the federal government had 90
days to obtain a criminal indictment
obtain an extension or initiate federal
civil forfeiture proceedings after a
valid claim to the property had been
filed the money wasn't returned to him
until over 6 months later after the
lawsuit was filed and after the media
attention caused by Steven story being
featured on the front page of the
Washington Post it's likely that the
officers were aware of insufficient
grounds to justify the seizure of the
funds which may explain the delay in
filing the necessary action for the
seizure or forfeiture of the money
not wanting this to happen to anyone
else Steven and IJ also sued the Nevada
Highway Patrol in state court but the
case was put on pause for almost all of
2022 in January 2024 a judge rejected
the highway Patrol's motion to dismiss
the lawsuit allowing Steven's claims to
move forward it only remains to be seen
if Steven will be awarded the ultimate
Justice for what he endured on that
fateful day

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