San Diego Defenders - Forfeiture Law Firm

San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm was founded by Daniel Smith, Esq. He has over 34 years in federal criminal defense, attorney Jon Pettis, Esq. has 28 years of state & federal law experience, Layla Smith, our paralegal specialist, has over 26 years experience, and Itzel Martinez is a paralegal on her way to law school. Layla and Itzel both speak Spanish fluently and Dan tries (his mother is Puerto Rican). When you come to our firm, you will feel like family because you will know all of us in minutes. We specialize in car and cash asset forfeitures/seizures, as well as DUIs and other criminal defense matters.

You can call the supervising attorney Dan Smith, directly for a free consultation or to set up an office meeting. It is free, easy, confidential, and might help you sleep tonight!

San Diego Defenders
State and Federal Criminal Defense
Specializing in Asset Forfeitures and Seizures
585 Third Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91910
24 Hrs. (619) 258-8888
Direct Office Line (619) 233-6900

San Diego Defenders - Forfeiture Law Firm
⚖ Here at San Diego Defenders-Forfeiture Law Firm, we receive a high number of calls from people who have had their vehicles seized by US Customs and Border Protection at the SR-94 CBP immigration checkpoint in Jamul, CA. 🗺️ Our firm is very familiar with the area as we are only 30 minutes away in Downtown Chula Vista, CA. 💻 Watch the video above to see our own Attorney Dan Smith ride through the checkpoint! 📞 If CBP has seized your car or truck, call us at (619) 258-8888 for a free, confidential consultation! Speak with an experienced CBP asset forfeiture attorney today. Se habla Español. 🇺🇸 We help with forfeiture cases of any property in any state with any federal agency! This includes CBP, DEA, HSI, USPIS, FBI, and more. Attorney Dan Smith has 35 years of experience in federal defense. 📰 Visit our websites at SanDiegoDefenders.com and ForfeitureLawFirm.com for more information on how we can help.
No, you should not wait. It is much better to get a free consultation from an attorney who specializes in seizure and forfeiture to put your mind at ease about whether it is possible to get your vehicle, cash and property back. They will also let you know how much it might cost and how long the federal or state process takes. When you Google the words “seizure and CBP” to get some info, AI or artificial intelligence recently produced this information. You will get a notice of seizure letter in about 30 days. (Feds have 60 days by law). AI will also tell you to consult a lawyer which is smart- why not if it is free? AI summaries will also tell you that filing a petition may be the wrong thing to do because there is no due process your or your lawyer can engage in and there is no time limit on getting an answer from Customs, CBP, DEA, USPIS or FBI. The AI summary is true, and you may wonder what the heck is a petition? A petition is one of four “election of proceedings” offered in most seizure forfeiture cases. Probably the most important information AI summarizes ls that you should NOT to call CBP for advice if your car or vehicle is seized. This lawyer could not agree more with the AI summary. The CBP officers, no matter if the person is nice on the phone, have no reason to give you good advice (even if they knew how federal forfeiture under CAFRA works, and most of them do not know how the Customs lawyers decide each case). So, call a lawyer that knows forfeiture procedure and law and read their Google reviews. The Google or Yelp reviews should be specific about getting your car, currency or property out of forfeiture seizure and written by the law firms clients. If the law firm is doing a good job for a fair fee, you should be able to tell from past client reviews. Then, you won’t have the anxiety of waiting until the last minute and all the stress. Who needs that? Call a forfeiture lawyer today! We are www.SanDiegoDefenders.com Forfeiture Law Firm at (619) 258-8888- no charge and no pressure.
Our office is located very close to the border into Tijuana. Many fine ladies travel from the US into Tijuana for plastic surgery like a “Mom Makeover” , Tummy Tuck and the likes. The Doctors in Tijuana all want to be paid in cash as in US Currency on the day of Surgery. The amount is almost always in excess of $10,000 and Ladies often with their Husbands will split up the cash savings to amounts around 5 or 6 thousand in hopes that will exclude them from filing a FinCen form for US Customs. The problem is that customs Agents know this and when they are crossing into Mexico from the US they sometimes ask, “What is the purpose of your visit?” “Are you carrying any cash or currency of any kind” It is important to note that Customs will Treat ALL of the group as ONE and they will add all of your US currency, Pesos, and even checks. Most of the time it is over the $10,000 limit and they will SEIZE all the money. In some cases that you do not specify what you are traveling to buy, they will have a dog alert on the currency and seize the money. We fight the Federal Forfeiture for you and Have been successful in the cases we accept. It is a complicated process and if your money is seized you will receive a confusing letter that does not explain the pros and cons of the way you ELECT to proceed after receiving the Notice of Forfeiture and Information to Claimants. Contact us at San Diego Defenders (619) 258-8888. In many cases there is only 20 days to file correctly. I will explain your options and evaluate your case. If we take your case we get your money back. Call us today!
San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm got a call yesterday from an 18 year old high school senior. He was worried that his parents would be notified that his car was seized by the Border Patrol outside of Jamul, California because it was a graduation gift from his parents, but the car was registered and titled under his name only. The answer is NO. But the letter sent by the US Customs and Border Protection sometimes referred to as the Notice of Seizure and Information to Claimants CAFRA Form will arrive via certified mail. That means somebody at your home will have to sign the little green cars to recieve that very important letter. So we sometimes tell your young clients that Dan Smith, the supervising attorney, will explain the civil forfeiture election of proceedings to your parents when the law firm is retained. San Diego Defenders is affordable. Call us at (619) 258-8888.
Many young adults and teenagers are on the registration and title with their parents or grandparents. If that car is seized, the teenager wonders if the co-owner parents will find out even though the teenager was NOT charged or given a court date. The answer is YES the co-owner parent will find out. The Notice of Seizure and Information to Claimants' letter from the CBP goes to all registered owners and the driver of the vehicle. The CBP Officers usually tell the driver that "a letter will be sent within 60 days" but it is usually 2-3 weeks. The Notice of Seizure letter is scary to recieve. Many people think that the Notice of Seizure letter is for notice of criminal charges. It is not. The CBP Notice of Seizure letter is confusing. Which of the "four" election of proceedings choice is best to make when you want to get your vehicle back as soon as possible if it is possible? Call San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm at (619) 258-8888 and we can speak with your parents. We only take cases we believe will wing. We are affordable and offer payment plans to help you through the federal process.
"That is not how it works. It has never happened in the 34 years I have been practicing law" says founder of San Diego Defenders - Forfeiture Law Firm. We get calls from people every week saying "The customs letter says I just have to pay the APV value of the vehicle and I can get it back this weekend, right?" Sadly, we have to tell them that we have never seen that work and that would be a lot of money! Especially if you owe a LOT of money on the vehicle! After 34 years of helping clients fight the forfeiture proceeding under 19 USC 1614, the Forfeiture Law Firm has never seen that work. Many people read the notice of seizure and information to claimants CAFRA letter and focus in on the APV value or appraised property value dollar amount and think that it is what has to be paid to get your car, truck or any type of vehicle released from Customs seized car lot but that is not the case. Call San Diego Defenders - Forfeiture Law Firm at (619) 258 - 8888 for guidance.
Two Facts that people get WRONG after their vehicle is seized by the CBP are: 1. That the owners of the vehicle THINK they can go pick up their car or truck at the tow yard or CBP checkpoint in the days that follow the seizure of the Vehicle. That is NOT the case. The Defense against a Federal Forfeiture is a process that can take months to resolve if done improperly and is a two step process even when done correctly. That is that a Agreement for release must be negotiated AND a Release Order also known as a Disposition Order must be obtained just to make the appointment to pick up the vehicle. WHY are people confused? Most of the time it is because the owner of the Car or Truck was not in the Vehicle and therefore think it is just a matter of picking up the vehicle at the impound lot. Again, it is important to remember that the Federal Forfeiture Laws and process is somewhat complicated and the CBP personal that pick up the phone don’t explain he process as well as might be needed. And Why should they? The Federal Forfeiture of Vehicles and Cash for that matter Make them money for Overtime and Bonuses. Give us a call at San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm and We will explain your options. When you retain us for a small fee, Our job is to get your car or truck back to you as soon as possible for the least expense. Call us today at 619-258-8888
Young Adults FAQs - Do I Have To Pay CBP APV TO Get My Car After Seizure? At San Diego Defenders, we get a lot of young adults and their parents calling us about the appraised value or “APV” given on the CAFRA Notice of Seizure letter. “ Do I have to pay the amount to get it back?” The answer is no. The four-page letter from the US Customs and Border Protection FP&F unit confuses most who read it. Young adults also wonder if they can file a petition and get the car back right away. The rules governing Petition for Remission and Mitigation specifically say it is administrative, and there is no time limit and no process explained for how a decision is made. If you were the driver, the Forfeiture Law Firm of San Diego Defenders has seen mostly rejection after it is reviewed, and sometimes that can be 6 months. But if you do not take our advice, file a petition, and get rejected by the CBP, we can still help. We can withdraw your petition and file a claim if it is not beyond the time limit to respond of about 30 days. Young adults also ask us if their parents are going to find out if the car got seized. The answer is yes, they will. But have them call us at 619-258-8888, and we will explain that this whole mess will be way less than they thought, and we will take care of the details. Visit www.sandiegodefenders.com or call us today at 619-258-8888.
Many clients ask us at Forfeiture Law Firm - San Diego Defenders if they will be charged if they try to get their vehicle back after CBP Customs impounds the car on suspicion of alien smuggling. If they were not charged, we have never seen the US Customs come back and charge the driver or the owner in the years I have been practicing federal defense in the United States District Court. Many clients do not know that we have successfully gotten back every car, even if the owner does not have documentation! We arrange for documents to be delivered to our clients so that a person with documentation can pick up the car for them, and they do not have to worry! Call us at (619) 258-8888, and we will explain that videos are not legal advice, but when you retain us to represent you for a low down payment for a fee less than a DUI, we will give you all the legal advice you need. We follow the rules and get it done for you, so you do not have to worry. Pick up the phone call us today at (619) 258-8888.
When your car is seized and impounded by Customs CBP because they detain you or your family for suspicion of alien smuggling, you will get a letter in the mail. The Notice of Seizure and Information to Claimants will include an Election of Proceedings. How do you want to try to get your vehicle back? If you file a petition in mitigation or an offer in compromise, you will be giving up a large part of your due process afforded by law. There seems to be no time limit! There seems to be no clear process for how they decide if they will give your car back! In the examples we show you in the video, it cost our clients anywhere from 3 1/2 months to 10 months more time without their car. They come to us and we have to withdraw the petition and start from scratch. How long can you go without your car … especially if you are still making payments. Call us at San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm at (619) 258-8888 and we will explain that this video is not legal advice, however, we have a very, very good track record of getting all the vehicles returned if we accept your case. Less than a DUI, payment plans and we do all the work for you so you don’t step on your own foot! Call us today at (619) 258-8888
At San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm, we get a LOT of calls from people looking for more information on how to get their car back from CBP after it has been seized. Then some file a Petition that is REJECTED 5 months later. Others file a Petition and go 7 months, 9 months, it varies, without a response from Border Patrol. The problem with filing a petition is that there is NO time limit on how long CBP and U.S. Customs can take! We are not telling you that you must hire us, but it is the smart thing to do. When we file a claim on your behalf, we invoke a 90-day limit for the United States Attorney to make a deal with San Diego Defenders’ Lawyers or file. In the hundreds of cases we have handled over the years, the United States Attorney assigned to the case has made a deal with our Forfeiture Law Firm within 90 days. There are, of course, a lot more details to discuss when you call us. However, the most important thing is getting an agreement to get your vehicle back within 90 days, and that is what makes our clients happy. We successfully get cars back in Texas, Arizona, and California, so call us we can help! Feel free to read our client reviews and then call us at (619) 258-8888, and we would be happy to help you before it becomes a real problem! For more information, check out our website at: https://forfeiturelawfirm.com/
San Diego Defenders Forfeiture Law Firm gets a lot of calls from Claimants who filed a petition for mitigation over 6 months prior only to get rejected. They are given 30 days to file an informal appeal and they call me in a panic state of mind. Dan Smith, Supervising Attorney at www.ForfeitureLawFirm.com will often tell them, "I can help and I will be dealing attorney to attorney with a 90-day timeline. I wish you would have contacted us first!" San Diego Defenders is located close to the CBP or Customs and Border Protection forfeiture office and understand the law very well and have a professional working relationship with FP&F office. The video explains why our small law firm never files a petition and how we help people get their cars back from CBP seizure impound successfully. Call us at (619) 258-8888!
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