House Bill 1142

(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE SEIZURE, SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY PURCHASED WITH FUNDS OBTAINED ILLEGALLY; TO PROVIDE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS TO THE VICTIMS OF THE CRIME; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) When any property, which has been purchased with funds obtained illegally, excluding controlled substances offenses, is seized, proceedings under this section shall be instituted within thirty (30) days from the date of seizure.

(2) A petition for forfeiture shall be filed in the name of the State of Mississippi, the county or the municipality and may be filed in the county in which the seizure is made, the county in which the criminal prosecution is brought or the county in which the owner of the seized property is found. Forfeiture proceedings may be brought in the circuit court or the county court if a county court exists in the county and the value of the seized property is within the jurisdictional limits of the county court as set forth in Section 9-9-21. A copy of such petition shall be served upon the following persons by service of process in the same manner as in civil cases:

(a) The owner of the property, if address is known;

(b) Any secured party who has registered his lien or filed a financing statement as provided by law, if the identity of such secured party can be ascertained by the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency by making a good faith effort to ascertain the identity of such secured party as described in subsections (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) of this section;

(c) Any other bona fide lienholder or secured party or other person holding an interest in the property in the nature of a security interest of whom the prosecutor or local law enforcement agency has actual knowledge;

(d) Any holder of a mortgage, deed of trust, lien or encumbrance of record, if the property is real estate, by making a good faith inquiry as described in subsection (8) of this section; and

(e) Any person in possession of property subject to forfeiture at the time that it was seized.

(3) If the property is a motor vehicle susceptible of titling under the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Title Law and if there is any reasonable cause to believe that the vehicle has been titled, the prosecutoror the local law enforcement agency shall make inquiry of the State Tax Commission as to what the records of the State Tax Commission show as to who is the record owner of the vehicle and who, if anyone, holds any lien or security interest which affects the vehicle.

(4) If the property is a motor vehicle and is not titled in the State of Mississippi, then the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency shall attempt to ascertain the name and address of the person in whose name the vehicle is licensed, and if the vehicle is licensed in a state which has in effect a certificate of title law, the bureau or the local law enforcement agency shall make inquiry of the appropriate agency of that state as to what the records of the agency show as to who is the record owner of the vehicle and who, if anyone, holds any lien, security interest or other instrument in the nature of a security device which affects the vehicle.

(5) If the property is of a nature that a financing statement is required by the laws of this state to be filed to perfect a security interest affecting the property and if there is any reasonable cause to believe that a financing statement covering the security interest has been filed under the laws of this state, the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency shall make inquiry of the appropriate office designated in Section 75-9-501, as to what the records show as to who is the record owner of the property and who, if anyone, has filed a financing statement affecting the property.

(6) If the property is an aircraft or part thereof and if there is any reasonable cause to believe that an instrument in the nature of a security device affects the property, then the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency shall make inquiry of the Mississippi Department of Transportation as to what the records of the Federal Aviation Administration show as to who is the record owner of the property and who, if anyone, holds an instrument in the nature of a security device which affects the property.

(7) In the case of all other personal property subject to forfeiture, if there is any reasonable cause to believe that an instrument in the nature of a security device affects the property, then the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency shall make a good faith inquiry to identify the holder of any such instrument.

(8) If the property is real estate, the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency shall make inquiry of the chancery clerk of the county wherein the property is located to determine who is the owner of record and who, if anyone, is a holder of a bona fide mortgage, deed of trust, lien or encumbrance.

(9) In the event the answer to an inquiry states that the record owner of the property is any person other than the person who was in possession of it when it was seized, or states that any person holds any lien, encumbrance, security interest, other interest in the nature of a security interest, mortgage or deed of trust which affects the property, the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency shall cause any record owner and also any lienholder, secured party, other person who holds an interest in the property in the nature of a security interest, or holder of an encumbrance, mortgage or deed of trust which affects the property to be named in the petition of forfeiture and to be served with process in the same manner as in civil cases.

(10) If the owner of the property cannot be found and served with a copy of the petition of forfeiture, or if no person was in possession of the property subject to forfeiture at the time that it was seized and the owner of the property is unknown, the prosecutor or the local law enforcement agency shall file with the clerk of the court in which the proceeding is pending an affidavit to such effect, whereupon the clerk of the court shall publish notice of the hearing addressed to "the Unknown Owner of _______________," filling in the blank space with a reasonably detailed description of the property subject to forfeiture. Service by publication shall contain the other requisites prescribed in Section 11-33-41, and shall be served as provided in Section 11-33-37, Mississippi Code of 1972, for publication of notice for attachments at law.

(11) No proceedings instituted pursuant to the provisions of this article shall proceed to hearing unless the judge conducting the hearing is satisfied that this section has been complied with. Any answer received from an inquiry required by subsections (3) through (8) of this section shall be introduced into evidence at the hearing.

(12) All property, real or personal, which is forfeited under this section shall be liquidated and, after deduction of court costs and expenses of liquidation, and after all liens are satisfied, the proceeds shall be returned to the victim or victims of the crime as restitution for property or monetary loss or for physical injury.

(13) The State Tax Commission shall issue a certificate of title to any person who purchases property under the provisions of this section when a certificate of title is required under the laws of this state.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2003.