Hang On — The FBI Robbed a Bank? The Story Behind a Mind-Blowing California Raid “This was the largest armed robbery in United States history, and it was committed by the FBI.” That jaw-dropping statement came from Robert Frommer, an attorney representing several hundred people whose safe deposit boxes were emptied during an FBI raid in 2021.
ENTER OUR ANNUAL THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without a turkey at the center of the table. However, sometimes, getting your hands on a bird can be expensive and complicated, especially if you’re dealing with an injury or illness. To make things easier for you this holiday season, our office is giving away THREE Thanksgiving turkeys, absolutely free! There’s just one catch. To enter, we ask that you share three things you’re grateful for this year, one for each turkey in the giveaway. You can put your name in the hat by texting your thankful list to 210-756-5399 or scanning the QR code on this page. Just make sure you do it before Sunday, Nov. 19 (if you haven’t already)! You can also invite your friends and family to enter by sharing this newsletter. Everyone is welcome. Once you send in your entry, keep an eye on your phone, email, and our Facebook page for an announcement of the winners. We’ll draw names on Monday, Nov. 20, and work with you to ensure you get your turkey by Thanksgiving. You can find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/ThePackardLawFirm. Win a FREE Turkey for Your Table!
The story is wild from start to finish. On that fateful day in March, armed FBI agents stormed a California strip mall and burst into a U.S. Private Vaults bank branch. They searched 1,400 safe deposit boxes and confiscated the contents of many of them — making off with roughly $86 million, plus valuable collectibles like coins, gold, and jewelry.
Why would the agency do this? Well, after a two-year investigation, the FBI suspected U.S. Private Vaults was catering to drug dealers and other criminals hiding cash in Los Angeles. So, the agency obtained a warrant and raided the bank to look for proof. And apparently, they found it. After the raid, U.S. Private Vaults pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder drug money and closed its doors for good. However, that wasn’t the end of the saga. Remember attorney Robert Frommer? Roughly 400 people who kept their money at U.S. Private Vaults hired him to get the contents of their safe deposit boxes back from the FBI. They said they weren’t criminals and wanted their money back. One of those people was Joseph Ruiz, who lost $57,000 in savings during the FBI raid. He filed a lawsuit, claiming the raid was unconstitutional. When the FBI accused Ruiz of making his money through illegal drug sales, Ruiz showed proof of his income, and in August 2021, the FBI agreed to return his funds. However, not every U.S. Private Vaults customer has been so lucky. In September 2022, a judge ruled that the FBI raid was legal under civil forfeiture laws and dismissed the depositors’ class-action lawsuit. An FBI spokesperson also said the agency was putting a process in place to return items to innocent owners, but as of March 2023, at least one person still claimed she hadn’t gotten her money back — even though she wasn’t criminally charged. If this story ever becomes a Hollywood movie, we’ll be first in line at the box office.
As we said in our last newsletter, you don’t need to overthink your thankful list. If you’re grateful for your son’s smile, your morning coffee, and your new winter jacket, share that with us — small things are worth celebrating, too!
When you’re ready to enter, text your gratitude list to 210-756-5399 or scan the QR code on this page. We can’t wait to read your lists!
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