That is criminal asset forfeiture..
We are talking about CIVIL.. cases like this one
Iowa Civil Asset Forfeiture Case Gets National Attention | whotv.com
Or
civil forfeiture is almost alway aimed at criminal activities
its a complicated issue and the standard of proof changed in the last ten years. And I tried a bunch of these cases.
This would be grounds for a civil forfeiture case
David is a drug dealer. He has no known source of income other than drug dealing. He buys an expensive car and puts it in his father's name. his father is the "owner of record". One day the feds seize the car claiming it is the proceeds of drug sales that paid for the car. David doesn't make a claim on the car because he has no legitimate income. Rather, Steve, David's father makes the claim. He is not charged with any criminal offense so the forfeiture case is CIVIL. (as opposed to say an indictment against David listing say 100K in case seized along with two kilos of cocaine in David'd apartment during a search warrant execution)
So Steve files a claim to the car saying he has the title. The US Attorney brings in the car salesman who testifies that it was David who test drove the car. It was David who specified what extras the car would come with but Yes Steve "bought the car"
this happens all the time
In another case. Bill was a drug dealer. His mother and father combined made about 120K a year. Bill and his brother went out and bought a safe one day and put it in his parents' house.. the regional drug task force constantly saw Bill going in and out of his parents house driving a pimped out truck. Bill's income tax form for the prior 3 years indicated less than 8K a year in income. Warrants were obtained and the Parents' house was searched and the pimped out truck seized. The truck title had mom owning the truck even though it was not the style of vehicle a 65 year old Black female would drive but a common style for 30 year old drug dealers (heavily tinted windows, spinner rims etc)
in the safe was 300K in cash that two different dogs hit on. NOTHING belonging to the parents. the money was bundled in the same manner, and denominations as money seized from the Drug dealer's home. same color rubber bans. Stacks of 1000 dollars with the same packaging. 4 hundreds, four fifties ten twenties and the rest in tens or fives.
when the raid took place, one kid still living with the parents said the safe was "bill's". The father was unaware of the safe and the money. When the mother came home the cops asked for the combination. She walked away and came back and opened it. Cell phone records indicated she called Bill right before opening the safe
so again this was a civil forfeiture because the "owner" of the safe was not indicted for drug dealing
while I have lots of issues with civil forfeiture, in many cases it is justified.