PHOENIX — Attorney General Kris Mayes wants state lawmakers to once again allow prosecutors to seize the assets of those they accuse of criminal conduct — even before there has been a trial, much less a conviction.
Mayes said Thursday that lawmakers made a mistake in 2021 when they revamped the civil forfeiture law that provided what some had said was an easy — and potentially unethical — source of money for police and prosecutors.
Under the new law, property ranging from cash and homes to cars and cell phones can be seized and sold off — with the proceeds going to law enforcement — only after the owner actually has been convicted of a crime.
