Equitable Sharing Program

The Department of Justice’s (Justice) Asset Forfeiture Program encompasses the seizure, forfeiture, and disposition of assets that represent the proceeds of, or were used to facilitate, federal crimes. The Attorney General exercises statutory authority to manage the Program. See 28 U.S.C. § 524(c)(1) (establishing the Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF), managed by the Attorney General). The Asset Forfeiture Program has four primary goals:

1. To punish and deter criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities.
2. To promote and enhance cooperation among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies.
3. To recover assets that may be used to compensate victims when authorized under federal law.
4. To ensure the Program is administered professionally, lawfully, and in a manner consistent with sound public policy

One of the ancillary benefits of asset forfeiture is the potential to share federal forfeiture proceeds in appropriate cases with cooperating state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies through equitable sharing. The Program enhances cooperation among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement by providing valuable additional resources to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies assisting with investigations into violations of federal laws. However, the Program is designed to supplement and enhance, not supplant, appropriated agency resources.

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