Des Moines , Iowa ( CNN ) On a bright , clear morning in April 2013 , two professional poker players from California were heading west on Interstate 80 in rural Iowa when they were stopped by two Iowa State Troopers . Before that stop was over , the officers had seized $ 100,000 , which the men said was money to play poker . The troopers also called ahead to California authorities , who raided the men 's homes and ultimately indicted one of them , John Newmerzhycky , on a charge of illegal possession of drug paraphernalia . If this sounds unusual and way out of the ordinary , it is n't . The seizure is just one of thousands of highway stops that state and local authorities call `` interdictions : '' Roadside stops aimed at catching drug dealers or even terrorists , but which can also result in cash seizures alone with no criminal charges attached . It 's called Civil Asset Forfeiture , and it was started in the early 1980s by the Justice Department . It has since migrated to thousands of state and local jurisdictions nationwide . The program , when it originated , was meant to target and take money authorities believed was connected to crimes . A legal advocacy group based in Washington called the Institute for Justice has been battling Civil Asset Forfeiture for years . `` It violates due process for Americans , '' said Larry Salzman , an attorney for the group . `` It 's wrong . It 's a simple premise that the government should not be taking money from people who have done nothing wrong . It should n't be taking money from people who have not been charged , let alone convicted , of any crime . '' In the case of the two poker players in Iowa , months after their money was taken , they reached a settlement in which most of the money — $ 90,000 — was returned . They told CNN they believed it was the best deal they could have made at the time . Now , however , they are suing to get the rest of the money back and have asked for unspecified damages . The state of Iowa is n't giving it back and is not backing down . `` It has had widespread and deep impacts on my life , '' said William `` Bart '' Davis , one of the two poker players . `` It 's my primary focus right now . It 's made me aware of the things I was unaware of . And made me angry . '' Other examples are rife . In a small Nevada county two hours driving time east of Reno , a single deputy sheriff has been responsible for more than a dozen cash seizures in 2014 alone , according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of motorists whose money was taken . That deputy , Lee Dove , asks one motorist in a dash-cam video how much money he has on hand . When the driver answers , Dove said , quote , `` It 's not counted is it ? Well , I 'm seizing it . '' Dove was so proud of his cash seizures that he autographed photos of himself with a bundle of money at his feet , accompanied by his K-9 dog . CNN wanted to ask him about the seizures but he did n't answer when our team approached his security gate just after nightfall . As we were driving away a few minutes later , two Humboldt County Sheriff 's deputies pulled us over even though we had n't done anything wrong . One of them said their colleague , Dove , `` had been going through a tough time '' and had called them to complain about our presence . The newly elected sheriff in Humboldt County , Mike Allen , said Dove is still with the department but has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a state investigation . Allen said the entire program is suspended pending that investigation and that any future stops must have a clear connection to criminal activity . `` I want to know what crime they 're investigating , and what evidence do they have to substantiate that crime before any property is seized , `` Allen said . The Justice Department recently said it was backing away from the civil asset forfeiture actions it had been taking for nearly three decades . Its records show it seized more than $ 6 million in the most recent fiscal year . Now , the department says it wo n't benefit from most seizures any longer . `` With this new policy , effective immediately , the Justice Department is taking an important step to prohibit federal agency adoptions of state and local seizures , except for public safety reasons , '' said Attorney General Eric Holder . Critics like the Institute for Justice , however , say that does n't mean the elimination of the practice . The institute 's president , Scott Bullock predicted it will continue in most states around the country .
Local authorities have seized property from motorists not charged with anything . Comment: Department of Justice recently said it was backing away from civil asset forfeiture actions .