No proof of crime, just gov't theft. You might think this is an isolated incident if you didnt know better, but the trust is it happens daily. At airports, on state highways, at border crossings.

Having cash is treated as a crime, and police steal honest money every day.

One more tale of theft.

First reaction was to feel sorry for the guy. Then I keep reading.

He came illegally. He didnt pay taxes. To F%$#ing bad.
Why feel sorry for someone who broke laws to make money.

He's hardly at fault here; the article made it pretty clear that he was uneducated and didn't even speak English -- he didn't know he was supposed to pay taxes. As far as this article reports, its more the fault of the government and his boss than anything else. I find it hard to believe that someone could spend 11 years in a country working and never realize you were breaking the law, but that could probably be contributed to my education and upbringing.

As far as this article reports, just another shady downfall of our government, but I don't think there's enough information in this particular article to actually point a finger in any direction.

I think his understanding of breaking the law was when he ran thru the desert to get in or however he got here. And I am sure he knew he was to pay taxes. The word illegal seems not to mean much anymore, or personal responsability.

The government has the 10k law. They did what they were suppose to do.

Yes, it's common knowledge that there is a process you go through to get into the United States. He was asking for it by coming illegally.

Now, if he was totally legal, then I'd be pissed as hell at the government.

I dont think the feds knew much about his money when they took it. All else is irrelevant, the fact is a man had his money taken because he had it in cash, it happens all the time, and regardless of what he may or may not have done wrong
the govt had no call to confiscate a duffel bag of cash simply for being a duffel bag of cash.

As noted before, it happens all the time, basically whenever the govt agency thinks they can get away with it.

Also note that though he may have been here "illegally" he was working, and neither law nor morality suggest that all ones honest earnings are forfeit for such.

And really, REALLY and I mean REALLLY note that he is NOT in trouble for failing to pay taxes on money earned as a dishwasher, the IRS simply wants a piece of donations he recieved. They say he admits to never paying taxes, but the fact is if he had paystubs he paid taxes in with-holdings. He wasnt paid under the table, or else he would have had no pay stubs to prove the 59k$ was his. What they mean to say is he never filed a tax-return. Had he done so, he probably would have been entitled a refund.

Again, its interesting that they offered him a trifle - as hush money. Yes, they actually tried to bribe him with a small amount of HIS OWN MONEY to KEEP QUIET ABOUT the whole thing?

Read the article carefully and tell me you can seriously think this guy got "what he deserved".

He is nothing more than a victim of a corrupt, inept, looting government.

If he was an american yes I would agree with you. But the fact remains he was not here leagally. I will never change my mind on this. The simple fact that he is not here leagally, to me, gives him no rights under our laws(except the ones that relate to other countries). The simple fact that he is not sitting in jail or that he has will have been here for 2 years after the incident just blows my mind. He should have been on the first banana boat the day he got caught back to his own country with the bill going to his countrys government.

I don't think thats the point at all. I think this article should strike up a question of ethics, instead of law, or rather the ethics of our laws. The question is "Is our law on how people can spend their time working and earning their living ethical?"

If you think this incident was ethical, then by extension
robbing any person who is in the country "illegaly" at gunpoint is also morally acceptable and something you condone.

Me, I think the punishment should fit the crime. I dont think the crime of working illegaly is worth that much money, even in fines.

Secondly, I dont see what the problem with any immigrant is, as long as they dont collect govt money. My problem with illegal immigration, is that so many just come to soak taxpayer dollars. Were those people to get in trouble, I would say they deserved it. This man came here for the noble
reason of working to make his own fortune by the sweat of his brow, at whatever work he could do.

But, whether this man ultimatly deserved this kind of punishment or not is highly irrelevant.

The fact remains that a man can have his money taken, simply because he has money, with no proof or even REASONABLE suspicion of any wrongdoing. I can think of no excuse for that level of immorality, probably because there is no excuse possible.

This case does highlight what is wrong with America though.

The nation has lost its morals.

And no, I am not referring to the imbecillic claptrap one might hear O'reily or Coulter talking about.

ignorance of the law does not protect you from the law.
since he could not speak or read english, he did not know that bringing over 10,000 in cash undeclaired was against the law. Since he could not speak or read english he did not know the had to file an annualy income-tax. So my question to you is ...... Why can this man speak ENGLISH?

I do not believe the law states that money can be siezed permanently for not being declared, and siezed without due process. This man, as far as I am aware was not put before a Jury that determined his money was forfeit.

There is supposed to be a thing called due process in this country, which our govt and legal system is supposed to operate by.

Where is due process here?

If this man had been charged with a crime for violating a law, put before a Jury, been convicted, and sentanced to a penalty, this would be entirely different.

Instead this man lost a livelihood he had done honest work for, due to arbitrary govt interference and even was offered hush money. That last bit right there says it all.

Illegal or not, thats not a reason to keep ~$60 grand just because. To me, thats just being a bully. Thats like walking down the street and some one just kicks your ass and takes your life savings and tells you to keep walking. Wtf does it have to do with being illegal or not. Its just not right. It's straight up earned money that has been saved. When they realized that it was hard honest earned money, they should have just fined, cited, warned, jailed, whatever, and when he gets deported, give him back his money.

I guess I should have said I think he should beable to keep the cash. That point I will agree on. I am more pissed about the 2 years they are taking to kick his ass out.

He was already trying to leave, I think if they handed him his cash he would buy his own ticket and leave of his own accord.