FBI searches drug dealer's home and seizes $585k in cash from a safe. Yikes! Sticky-fingered special agent Scott Bowman pockets $218k and spends it on "cars, a Vegas trip, and plastic surgery for his wife." Dealer agrees to forfeit remaining cash but seeks return of what was stolen. Ninth Circuit: Fair enough; he might not be seeking return of the exact same bills, but money is fungible. “The government—not Cannon—bears the burden of demonstrating a legitimate basis for refusing to return the money; if it cannot, it must return Cannon’s property.” Dissent: C'mon. That money is long gone, so this is really like seeking damages, which is barred by sovereign immunity.
The Federal Defender’s office for the Central District of California represents Mr. Cannon.
The case is Lionel Cannon v. United States, 24-1317 (9th Cir. June 29, 2026).
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