Adam Linthicum

Adam Linthicum

@listlessscholar.bsky.social

I English good. Daylight Saving Time should be permanent. Views my own. Have you heard about civil forfeiture? It's messed up. But @ij.org is here to help! Opinions my own.

300 followers387 following2K posts

The use of drug dogs in civil forfeiture cases really gives the game away. What happens to the money once it's seized? It depends on the jurisdiction, but best practices are to put the funds into a bank account. This means the drug tainted funds are almost immediately put back into circulation.

Adam Linthicum@listlessscholar.bsky.social

Instead of a meaningful examination of documents and thoughtful analysis at the scene, LEOs get a dog to sniff the cash, and then simply check the box that says DRUGS. There is no crime they can point to, just a generic claim that carrying cash is strange and a dog alert shows a connection to drugs.

This is a wild case. One of my favorites at IJ. I worked a decade in bank operations, and I learned a lot talking with Steven at Global Coin Logistics. But, despite where this thread begins, this case isn't about nerding out on logistics of currency acquisition, its about due process.

The San Diego Union-Tribune@sandiegouniontribune.com

The feds seized $1.4M from a currency wholesaler. He’s suing in San Diego to stop the practice.

View full thread

Instead of a meaningful examination of documents and thoughtful analysis at the scene, LEOs get a dog to sniff the cash, and then simply check the box that says DRUGS. There is no crime they can point to, just a generic claim that carrying cash is strange and a dog alert shows a connection to drugs.

This is a wild case. One of my favorites at IJ. I worked a decade in bank operations, and I learned a lot talking with Steven at Global Coin Logistics. But, despite where this thread begins, this case isn't about nerding out on logistics of currency acquisition, its about due process.

The San Diego Union-Tribune@sandiegouniontribune.com

The feds seized $1.4M from a currency wholesaler. He’s suing in San Diego to stop the practice.

View full thread

The other half of Global Coin Logistics' work is in moving USD. They supply higher quality bills than banks can to ATM operators, and do so at a lower rate. When GCL moves USD in the states, they still operate with much of the same paperwork as when they cross borders.

But things go off the rails when law enforcement gets involved. Despite having documentation for all of the currency, GCL had it's product (the cash) seized. Because with civil forfeiture, the presence of cash makes LEOs stop their investigation and start seeing dollar signs.

This is a wild case. One of my favorites at IJ. I worked a decade in bank operations, and I learned a lot talking with Steven at Global Coin Logistics. But, despite where this thread begins, this case isn't about nerding out on logistics of currency acquisition, its about due process.

The San Diego Union-Tribune@sandiegouniontribune.com

The feds seized $1.4M from a currency wholesaler. He’s suing in San Diego to stop the practice.

To get foreign currency, you just go to a bank and fill out a form. In a few days the currency is delivered. Easy, right? But unless you are getting Euros or something, those banks need to get that currency from somewhere! Governments don't fly palettes of their cash to other countries. Enter GCL.

GCL goes to other countries, obtains the desired currency, and then sells it to a wholesaler in America. Those wholesalers contract with banks to deliver to the customer. It was especially cool talking with him about operational security and logistics. So why is IJ involved?

Adam Linthicum reposted

Global Coin Logistics sells dollars to ATM providers across the country. Last year, the DEA and CBP seized more than $1 million from GCL during two different airport seizures without charging anyone with a crime. Now, GCL and @ij.org have filed a federal lawsuit challenging those seizures.

The San Diego Union-Tribune@sandiegouniontribune.com

The feds seized $1.4M from a currency wholesaler. He’s suing in San Diego to stop the practice.

My biweekly house cleaner came by today. For the second time in a row, she was alone; apparently many workers in NOVA are afraid to leave their homes. She then said, “My friend told me I need to vote, but I don’t know who to vote for to stop this!” It was a good chat.

Simon Rosenberg@simonwdc.bsky.social

Noon TargetEarly data has dropped. Surge of young, Black, and Hispanic voters in the 2026 election has not abated. 1/

So I was all “Yeah! That makes sense!” When I heard that Steve Jobs wore the same thing every day to reduce cognitive waste on little things. But what do these things people think is a big thing if not their own children?

David Gura@davidgura.bsky.social

cool, cool

Ok, aside from all of this being stupid, on amendment 3 specifically I would like to ask whoever made this nonsense: MOTHERFUCKERS, what is prison for‽ Do we have a reform process outside of incarceration? Show it to me!

I went to vote today. I asked the people at the Fairfax GOP tent when someone is considered “reformed.” I had to leave when the guy working the tent said “some don’t, it’s genetics.” How do you have a productive conversation with that?

The opposite of “suicidal empathy” is homicidal selfishness.

Ryan Fonseca@ryan-fonseca.bsky.social

It's a choice (a bad one) to tell readers this driver "passed too close to cyclists" when there's video evidence showing he drove his car into them, made contact and hurt someone. Fellow journalists: we can explore the nuances of punishment for drivers without obfuscating their dangerous behavior.

I can imagine the conversation outside the oval office... "JFC, just tell him we got it so that he will shut the fuck up about it. We have more brown people to cage and we need his signature..."

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump says NATO was "nice enough to give us Greenland. We got Greenland."

I'm sorry, but the stream of consciousness editing here is wild: We need hospitals! "What would happen... if you deep fry this thing?" Talk about oil pipelines

Abdul El-Sayed@abdulelsayed.bsky.social

“He's gunna go up to the Upper Peninsula and get a pretty cold welcome.” And the UP said…

Adam Linthicum reposted

Dem: We need to vote to protect our children from fascism! Trans: I will vote to protect trans children from fascism! Dem: Not them. Other children! Vote to protect the other children! Trans: I will vote for anyone who'll protect trans children from fascism. Dem: Wny do you love fascism????

My biggest issue with these skeet ropes is that I don’t want to be looking at this jabrony every fucking time a new dunk is invented. I appreciate the work that goes into a 89 skeet dunk. But I don’t want to stare at the same dumb ass pic. *This isnt a complaint against Kevin, TBH.

Kevin M. Kruse@kevinmkruse.bsky.social

My man looks like Stanley Kubrick dressed up as Velma for Halloween

Adam Linthicum reposted

Things got more insane just about as soon as I posted this last night. DHS is now arguing that we cannot even put the names of ICE officers in our lawsuit against those officers. Their position is that, if a defendant works for DHS, they cannot be named in a lawsuit. Never seen anything like it.

Jared@jaredmcclain.bsky.social

It's been a struggle for reporters to get DHS to provide the names of officers who violate people's civil rights. Now, in our case against DHS's construction-site raids, the government is arguing in court that its employees names are "confidential" and should not be made public during litigation.

Being forced to stand for no reason is demeaning and stupid. Having worked retail for over a decade with differing standing policies, I know you aren’t getting the best service when the employees are forced to stand.

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com

TSA says it is removing chairs at document checks in airports, requiring staff to stand for their shift. TSA explained the reason as twofold: to ensure its employees meet its fitness standards and to create an amiable environment for travelers.

This is the same mentality behind return to work and the refusal to consider the four day workweek. It’s the same thing being work requirements for gov benefits. It’s just counter productive policy.

Adam Linthicum reposted

This mass surveillance tech is unconstitutional even if it’s used “properly.” Unsurprisingly, though, it’s often abused. Here’s our tracker of just the reported incidents of ALPR abuse: ij.org/the-ij-datab...

ij.orgThe IJ Database of ALPR Abuse - Institute for JusticeThe Institute for Justice has cataloged more than 200 incidents of ALPR abuse, including romantic stalking, wrongful stops and detentions, non-law enforcement use, and other types of misconduct.
Jared@jaredmcclain.bsky.social

A federal district court just held that police use of Flock cameras without a warrant violates the Fourth Amendment. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

State is trying to forfeit a person’s car: They go to a crim def attorney: Oh Thats civil! OK… they go to a civil attorney: Oh, this looks like it’s criminal, but check with IJ! If your process can’t be figured out by barred attorneys, it’s a bad process! #endcivilforfeiture

Also McMahon: Next week we will require all Kindergarten classes to play 2 hours of Cocomelon every morning. It will be incredibly effective.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Linda McMahon: "AI is definitely a tool used correctly. I've seen it in action. I have visited the Alpha School in Austin, Texas, where they use AI for the first two hours every single morning. The students have their headsets on, they are watching their computers ... it is incredibly effective"

Remember when Target outted a pregnant teen to her father before AI? Something tells me that they aren’t actually using AI in a novel way, here. But “bad people do bad things with bad systems” is a great way to get views, I guess!

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