A truck driver from Mississippi is currently engaged in a battle to reclaim his life savings after it was confiscated by the police during a routine traffic stop. The incident took place in September 2020 when Rae Young Chung, a 70-year-old South Korean native, was pulled over by a narcotics officer while delivering auto parts to a business in Georgia. The officer claimed that Chung was following other vehicles too closely and driving slightly above the speed limit.

Despite the language barrier between Chung and the officer, as seen in the body camera footage, the officer chose to use Google Translate to communicate with Chung instead of seeking the assistance of an interpreter. During the search, Chung voluntarily informed the officer that he was carrying a significant amount of cash. He retrieved a bag from his truck containing 45 envelopes, each containing $5,000, totaling $225,000. Chung explained that he saved $5,000 at a time and kept the money in envelopes inside the bag.

The officer also discovered some discrepancies in Chung’s logbooks, which led to suspicions of his involvement in drug trafficking. The officer stated, “Based on the inconsistencies in his logbooks and his admission of carrying money in the vehicle, it started to look more like he was a drug money courier.”

Chung explained to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that the money was his life savings, accumulated since 2010, and that he kept it in his truck because he did not have a home where he could store it.

The State, after finding a tenuous link between Chung’s trucking company and an ongoing investigation, filed a petition for forfeiture on September 28, 2020. However, four years later, the Court of Appeals of the State of Mississippi overturned the forfeiture, acknowledging that there was insufficient evidence to justify seizing Chung’s money. The court also recognized Chung’s reasonable explanations for carrying the cash and ordered the funds to be returned to him.

Although Chung will still have to cover his legal fees, his attorney is currently working on a contingency plan to recover the funds.

Source: Forbes