Pubdate: Sat, 08 Apr 2006
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2006 The Charlotte Observer
Contact:  http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78
Author: Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)

SEIZURE OF DENTAL JEWELRY STOPPED

Authorities Got Order For 'Grills,' Thinking Them Easily Removed

TACOMA, Wash. - Talk about taking a bite out of crime. Government 
lawyers tried to confiscate the gold tooth caps known as "grills" 
from the mouths of two men facing drug charges, saying the dental 
work qualified as seizable assets.

They had them in a vehicle headed to a dental clinic by the time 
defense attorneys persuaded a judge to halt the procedure.

"I've been doing this for over 30 years and I have never heard of 
anything like this," said Richard Troberman, a past president of the 
Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "It sounds like 
Nazi Germany when they were removing the gold teeth from the bodies, 
but at least then they waited until they were dead."

Prosecutors had a warrant to seize the gold dental work, according to 
documents and lawyers involved in the case. But they eventually 
abandoned the effort, saying they mistakenly thought the grills were 
removable. The customized tooth caps, popularized by rappers such as 
Nelly, are made of precious metals and jewels and can cost thousands 
of dollars for a full set. Some can be snapped onto the teeth, while 
others are permanently bonded to the teeth. Flenard Neal and Donald 
Jamar Lewis have permanently bonded grills, their lawyers said.

Neal and Lewis, both charged with several drug and weapon violations, 
were taken Tuesday from the Federal Detention Center to the U.S. 
marshal's office, where they were told the government had a warrant 
to seize the grills. They called their lawyers as they were about to 
be taken to a dentist, said Miriam Schwartz, Neal's public defender. 
"Asset forfeiture is a fairly routine procedure, and our attorneys 
were under the impression that these snapped out like a retainer," 
said Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in 
Seattle. The defense lawyers criticized what they said was a 
clandestine attempt to have the grills removed.

Langlie and court clerks said seizure warrants are typically sealed 
to prevent defendants from trying to move or hide valuables and 
evidence. They become public with the filing of a return that shows 
what was seized.
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