Man wants confiscated money back
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The money, seized this February from Mi Pueblo, is presently sitting dormant in a seizure account awaiting the outcome of the appeal. The $36,914 cash was ordered to be forfeited by Circuit Court Judge Charles Haston last month; however, the suspect in the case, Rogelio Vasquez Cruz, is appealing. He also wants his 1999 Ford F-150 pick-up, which was also forfeited, returned to him.
The seizure came after lawmen raided Cruz’s store following an undercover operation. Police say Cruz illegally sold beer without a license, sold beer on Sunday and also sold liquor to an undercover operative. Over 50 cases of beer and alcohol were found and seized during the raid this February.
Following his arrest, police discovered Cruz, an illegal alien from Mexico, had a long prior criminal record. The arrest brought federal agents into town to investigate Cruz’s immigration status, the legality of merchandise found inside his store and whether he had paid proper taxes on his earnings.
Cruz also remains under a court restraining order, barring him from conducting any transactions on two local accounts. Investigators say Cruz made huge deposits, some totaling $58,000 in a day, sparking their suspicions the money was illegal earnings.
Given the evidence and the allegation he used his truck to transport the alcohol to his business, Judge Haston ordered Cruz to forfeit the property.
However, local attorney Scott Horton has appealed the ruling on his client’s behalf, asking for another hearing before Haston. Should Cruz be rejected again when he asks for return of his property, he may then appeal the case to the appellate courts.
Should the ruling stand, however, DA Dale Potter said he wants to stick his hand in the cookie jar. Potter foresees the money being split evenly between his office and the city of McMinnville since the raid was a joint operation.