this has been in use nationwide for years - only now it catches someone with some political power and money and all of a sudden it becomes a dangerous tactic?
It always was unconstitutional! Just because this jerk is a politician (lawyer too?) doesn't give him special priveledges. If anything people in power should be punished much more severely for breaking laws.
Back to the seizure and confiscation of property .... IF a court can convince a jury that property was paid for by illegal gains, then the property can be forfeit TO REPAY THOSE IT WAS STOLEN FROM! Only after a trial by jury.
This crap of small city-state gestapos stopping people on the freeway, confiscating cars, money, etc (NO drugs or anything illegal) and then telling the people to leave --- they need to be lined up against the wall as common highway robbers - and the politicinas, lawyers and judges who are ruling over the gestapo also!
Randy Cunningham got greedy and cocky about making bucks from his political power...but he is not deserving of being called a "jerk".
Cunningham was the first fighter ace of the Vietnam war, he received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, and the Purple Heart.