State seeks to keep $348,000 from traffic stop
Do you want $348,435?
If you do, all you have to do is convince the state Attorney General that the money confiscated from two women during a traffic stop last year near the New Stanton exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, is really yours.
The catch in this get-rich-quick scheme is that the money seized on Aug. 7 in Hempfield from the vehicle occupied by Cynthia M. Malone and Sabrina Tonya A. Dudley, held “a high amount of cocaine residue,” according to Jacklin Rhodes, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General. The state determined the level of cocaine residue on the money “exceeded state casual contact levels” when tested with an IONSCAN, Rhoads said. The special scanner detects narcotics.
Someone wanting the cache of cash has to file an official claim with Westmoreland County Court. And, while you are at it, you must file a copy with law enforcement — the Attorney General’s Asset Forfeiture & Money Laundering Section in North Huntingdon, according to a legal advertisement notifying the public of the state’s desire to keep the money.
The Attorney General has filed documents in Westmoreland County Court for the right to keep the money if no one files a claim by Aug. 20, according to the legal advertisement. So far, no one has staked their claim to the money, Rhoads said.
No charges have been filed against either woman, Rhodes said. The money was either possessed by the women, or was in their vicinity, the state said.
Details about the traffic stop were not available.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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