Department of Justice Announces the Probationary Re-Admission of Robeson County Sheriff’s Office Into the Equitable Sharing Program Upon Completion of Today’s Asset Forfeiture Training

RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. and the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) announce the probationary re-admission of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) into the Department of Justice and Department of the Treasury’s Equitable Sharing Programs (Program).  This probationary re-admission is pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and the special conditions described therein.  A copy of the MOA can be found

Today, MLARS and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina (USAO-EDNC) conducted mandatory training for personnel from the RCSO, Robeson County Board of Commissioners, and Robeson County Finance Office on asset forfeiture and equitable sharing.  The MOA requires that this initial training be completed before the RCSO could participate in law enforcement activities where seizures for federal forfeiture are expected.  With this requirement now satisfied, the Departments of Justice and Treasury have agreed to process sharing requests going forward subject to the requirements of the MOA.

The RCSO was deemed ineligible for participation in the Program following the federal criminal prosecutions by the USAO-EDNC of several members of the RCSO as part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation “Tarnished Badge,” and the RCSO’s failure to comply with Program policies and regulations.  Recently, under the new leadership of Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, the RCSO made a request for readmission into the Program after years of ineligibility. 

The Departments of Justice and Treasury believe that renewed collaboration and cooperation between the RCSO and federal law enforcement will strengthen law enforcement efforts to deter and punish criminal activity in Robeson County and the surrounding communities.  Accordingly, a MOA was established for the purpose of:

1. Setting forth the requirements and responsibilities of the RCSO, the Robeson County Board of Commissioners and the Finance Office for the probationary re-admission of the RCSO into the Program;
2. Setting forth the requirements and responsibilities of the RCSO for participation with federal authorities in federal investigations that may lead to the seizure and forfeiture of assets;
3. Providing effective management for the RCSO probationary re-admission and participation in the Program;
4. Promoting public confidence in the integrity of law enforcement; and,
5. Protecting the Program against fraud, waste and abuse.

The MOA was entered into by the following agencies:           

• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina
• U.S. Department of Justice – Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Drug Enforcement Administration
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• Department of the Treasury – Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture (TEOAF)
• Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations
• County of Robeson, North Carolina
• Robeson County Sheriff’s Office
• Robeson County Board of Commissioners
• Robeson County Finance Office

The RCSO’s participation with federal authorities and with the Program will be for a probationary period of five years from the effective date of the MOA, and subject to the additional terms and conditions specified in the MOA.

For more information about the Department of Justice’s Equitable Sharing Program, see /media/1044326/dl?inline.