Summary: GAO reported on various aspects of the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and the Treasury asset forfeiture programs, focusing on: (1) compliance with the legislative requirement to develop and maintain a joint plan to coordinate and consolidate the post-seizure administration of properties seized for drug-related violations; and (2) the potential cost savings if all drug- and nondrug-related seizures were under such a program.
GAO found that: (1) little progress has been made in developing a plan to consolidate DOJ and Treasury post-seizure activities for properties seized for drug violations; (2) as of May 1991, no formal plans were under consideration, since both the U.S. Marshals Service's (USMS) and Customs Service's unilateral proposals for consolidation had been rejected by the other agency; (3) even though USMS and Customs had similar types of properties located in the same geographic areas, they independently managed and disposed of their seized assets and paid substantially different rates for similar services; (4) the government could save an estimated $2.5 million in program administration costs annually under a consolidated program from less duplication of effort, more streamlined operations, and lower vendor costs; and (5) although both agencies expressed concerns about consolidating the management and disposal activities related to their seized property programs, neither agency offered sound justification for not doing so.
