Civil Forfeiture, Warrantless Property Seizures, and the Fourth Amendment

Abstract

Prior to Saturday, June 22, 1985, Joseph Spina would have been considered a rather successful businessperson. He owned a thriving resort complex in Port Salerno, Florida, consisting of a hotel, restaurant, and boat company. Mr. Spina had purchased the hotel as part of a compensation agreement for accounting services he had performed for the hotel's previous owners. After investing over one million dollars in renovations, he was preparing to sell the property for approximately four times that amount. The closing was set for August 3. Only some minor construction work was left to be completed in order to finalize the deal.