Making Sure Crime Doesn't Pay
          
               Other federal agencies also seize property, which is
          later sold at auction.  The U.S. Marshals Service, a
          branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, sells property
          seized by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement
          Administration, including legitimate businesses run by
          illegitimate business people.
               Recently, for example, the FBI ran ads detailing
          "properties seized for various federal forfeiture
          violations" of the Controlled Substances Act, the Anti-
          Drug Abuse Act, the Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement
          Act, etc.  Many of the items listed were various sums of
          U.S. currency, but there were also the following:
               * Central California: 1991 Oldsmobile Custom
          Cruiser; 1990 Jeep Cherokee; 1991 Harley Davidson FXSTS
          motorcycle.
               * Eastern California: Sony video camera; Sony color
          television.
               * Southern Florida: 1978 Number One Hull fishing
          vessel.
               * Northern Illinois: Ameritech Motorola cellular
          telephone.
               * Southern Illinois: Laser Brand stand alone
          personal computer with CPU, monitor, printer, keyboard,
          mouse, and power cards.
               * Southern New York:  Eight video cameras, two fax
          machines, and one VCR.
               And so on, from Massachusetts to Hawaii.  The
          purpose of the ad was to serve notice to the rightful
          owners, who can contest the seizures if they file a claim
          of ownership and a cash bond. Practically speaking,
          though, many of these owners have other things on their
          mind; properties seized by the FBI usually won't be
          claimed.
               Then what?  The FBI doesn't want to store and
          maintain cars, boats, motorcycles, cellular phones, etc. 
          Most of this property will be auctioned off, probably in
          a U.S. Marshal's sale.
               Careful readers of newspapers throughout the East
          Coast could recently have spotted a small ad under the
          heading, "U.S. Marshal Auction."  At the Doubletree Hotel
          near Arlington, Virginia, $3 million worth of jewelry,
          watches, and coins was auctioned off.  If you'd like to
          find out about the next such sale, call 800 222-9885.
               In the same newspaper editions, the U.S. Marshal of
          the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York announced
          a public auction of more than 50 "valuable drug seized
          cars," including a Corvette, an Alpha Romeo, and a
          "completely customized Benz 500 SEL."  If you'd like to
          get on the mailing list there, all 718 845-2004.  
               There's no national mailing list, however; Marshal's
          sales are held at dozens of district offices, with each
          office running its own program.  To find out about
          Marshal's sales in your area, check the classified ads in
          your local newspaper.  Also, ads frequently appear in the
          Wednesday edition of USA Today.
               As you might expect, terms of sale vary greatly. 
          Carefully check the procedures for each sale you attend.