Asset Forfeiture Program | Asset Forfeiture Program
Source: https://www.justice.gov/afp
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:00
Asset Forfeiture Program | Asset Forfeiture Program
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Asset Forfeiture Program
Participants and Roles
Assets Forfeiture Fund
Types of Federal Forfeiture
Reports
Freedom of Information Act
Contact the Program
Asset Forfeiture Program
Our Mission
The mission of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Asset Forfeiture Program (AFP or the Program) is to use asset forfeiture as a tool to deter, disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises, denying them the proceeds and the instruments of criminal activity. The AFP involves federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies across the country.
Our Goals
The Asset Forfeiture Program’s primary goals are:
To punish and deter criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities.
To promote and enhance cooperation among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies.
To recover assets that may be used to compensate victims when authorized under federal law.
To ensure the Program is administered professionally, lawfully, and in a manner consistent with sound public policy.
To achieve these goals, the Department of Justice uses asset forfeiture to the fullest extent possible to investigate, identify, seize, and forfeit the assets of criminals and their organizations while ensuring that due process rights of all property owners are protected. Asset forfeiture plays a critical role in disrupting and dismantling illegal enterprises, depriving criminals of the proceeds of illegal activity, deterring crime, and restoring property to victims. The effective use of both criminal and civil asset forfeiture is an essential component of the Department’s efforts to combat the most sophisticated criminal actors and organizations—including terrorist financiers, cyber criminals, fraudsters, human traffickers, and transnational drug cartels.
The AFP is funded by the
Assets Forfeiture Fund
(AFF or the Fund), which has the statutory authority to support and expand the use of forfeiture sanctions throughout the federal law enforcement community. The
Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-473), codified in 28 U.S.C. § 524(c)
, established the AFF as a special fund within the Treasury to receive the proceeds of forfeitures.
The statute authorizes the Attorney General to use
the Fund
to pay any necessary expenses associated with asset forfeitures enforced or administered by the Department of Justice, including the seizure, forfeiture, and disposal of such property, victim compensation, and certain general investigative costs.
Forfeiture is widely recognized as a powerful law enforcement tool for disrupting and dismantling criminal enterprises. The AFP ensures that law enforcement effectiveness remains the paramount consideration of agents and prosecutors in choosing to pursue forfeiture under a national program framework.
Asset Forfeiture Program Participants and Roles
Trend Information
Adoptions
Community Safety
Fund Availability
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts (including Large Case Receipts)
Download All Trend Information
Public Notices of Forfeiture
Forfeiture.gov
Skip to main content
Asset Forfeiture Program
Participants and Roles
Assets Forfeiture Fund
Types of Federal Forfeiture
Reports
Freedom of Information Act
Contact the Program
Asset Forfeiture Program
Our Mission
The mission of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Asset Forfeiture Program (AFP or the Program) is to use asset forfeiture as a tool to deter, disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises, denying them the proceeds and the instruments of criminal activity. The AFP involves federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies across the country.
Our Goals
The Asset Forfeiture Program’s primary goals are:
To punish and deter criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities.
To promote and enhance cooperation among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies.
To recover assets that may be used to compensate victims when authorized under federal law.
To ensure the Program is administered professionally, lawfully, and in a manner consistent with sound public policy.
To achieve these goals, the Department of Justice uses asset forfeiture to the fullest extent possible to investigate, identify, seize, and forfeit the assets of criminals and their organizations while ensuring that due process rights of all property owners are protected. Asset forfeiture plays a critical role in disrupting and dismantling illegal enterprises, depriving criminals of the proceeds of illegal activity, deterring crime, and restoring property to victims. The effective use of both criminal and civil asset forfeiture is an essential component of the Department’s efforts to combat the most sophisticated criminal actors and organizations—including terrorist financiers, cyber criminals, fraudsters, human traffickers, and transnational drug cartels.
The AFP is funded by the
Assets Forfeiture Fund
(AFF or the Fund), which has the statutory authority to support and expand the use of forfeiture sanctions throughout the federal law enforcement community. The
Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-473), codified in 28 U.S.C. § 524(c)
, established the AFF as a special fund within the Treasury to receive the proceeds of forfeitures.
The statute authorizes the Attorney General to use
the Fund
to pay any necessary expenses associated with asset forfeitures enforced or administered by the Department of Justice, including the seizure, forfeiture, and disposal of such property, victim compensation, and certain general investigative costs.
Forfeiture is widely recognized as a powerful law enforcement tool for disrupting and dismantling criminal enterprises. The AFP ensures that law enforcement effectiveness remains the paramount consideration of agents and prosecutors in choosing to pursue forfeiture under a national program framework.
Asset Forfeiture Program Participants and Roles
Trend Information
Adoptions
Community Safety
Fund Availability
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts (including Large Case Receipts)
Download All Trend Information
Public Notices of Forfeiture
Forfeiture.gov