Ohio Agencies Collect $3.4M In Asset Forfeiture

The Department of Justice distributed $3.4 million in asset forfeiture funds to state and local law enforcement agencies in Ohio stemming from three federal cases.

"This money will provide badly needed resources to police departments throughout northeast Ohio," said Steven Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. "The community gets a double benefit when we take ill-gotten money from criminals and drug dealers and use it to support local police and law enforcement."

The money came from seizures and forfeitures in three federal cases—a heroin trafficking organization led by Christopher Ugochukwu, the money laundering conviction of Paul Monea, and a 2010 traffic stop in Twinsburg that resulted in a seizure of $677,660.

Under the equitable sharing formula, the DOJ keeps 20 percent of the seized assets. The remaining money is divided among other participating agencies based on hours worked on the case. The U.S. Marshals Service administers the funds.

For more details on the disbursement, read the FBI press release .