Stephen Lara was driving to California in February 2021 to visit his daughters when he was pulled over by law enforcement in Nevada. What ensued was nothing resembling a routine traffic stop and ended with the officers violating Lara’s property rights.
The officers seized Lara’s life savings, which amounted to $87,000, without charging him with a crime. They did so by declaring that it was likely being used for drug crimes and stole his money under civil asset forfeiture. Unfortunately for them, they picked the wrong person to target.
Stephen Lara was driving cross-country to see his daughters in California when a seemingly routine traffic stop ended with the Nevada Highway Patrol seizing his entire life savings of $87,000.
“I knew at that moment that wasn’t the place to fight this battle,” Lara, a 42-year-old Marine veteran, told Fox News. “I had to stay calm.”
It took…
