9.2—Definitions.

As used in this part:

(a) The term administrative forfeiture means the process by which property may be forfeited by an investigative agency rather than through judicial proceedings.

(b) The term appraised value means the estimated market value of an asset at the time and place of seizure if such or similar property was freely offered for sale between a willing seller and a willing buyer.

(c) The term Assets Forfeiture Fund means the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund or Department of the Treasury Asset Forfeiture Fund, depending upon the identity of the seizing agency.

(d) The term Attorney General means the Attorney General of the United States or his or her designee.

(e) The term beneficial owner means a person with actual use of, as well as an interest in, the property subject to forfeiture.

(f) The terms Chief, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, and Chief, refer to the Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice.

(g) The term general creditor means one whose claim or debt is not secured by a specific right to obtain satisfaction against the particular property subject to forfeiture.

(h) The term judgment creditor means one who has obtained a judgment against the debtor but has not yet received full satisfaction of the judgment.

(i) The term judicial forfeiture means either a civil or a criminal proceeding in a United States District Court that may result in a final judgment and order of forfeiture.

(j) The term lienholder means a creditor whose claim or debt is secured by a specific right to obtain satisfaction against the particular property subject to forfeiture. A lien creditor qualifies as a lienholder if the lien:

(1) Was established by operation of law or contract;

(2) Was created as a result of an exchange of money, goods, or services; and

(3) Is perfected against the specific property forfeited for which remission or mitigation is sought (e.g., a real estate mortgage; a mechanic's lien).

(k) The term net equity means the amount of a lienholder's monetary interest in property subject to forfeiture. Net equity shall be computed by determining the amount of unpaid principal and unpaid interest at the time of seizure, and by adding to that sum unpaid interest calculated from the date of seizure through the last full month prior to the date of the decision on the petition. Where a rate of interest is set forth in a security agreement, the rate of interest to be used in this computation will be the annual percentage rate so specified in the security agreement that is the basis of the lienholder's interest. In this computation, however, there shall be no allowances for attorneys' fees, accelerated or enhanced interest charges, amounts set by contract as damages, unearned extended warranty fees, insurance, service contract charges incurred after the date of seizure, allowances for dealer's reserve, or any other similar charges.

(l) The term owner means the person in whom primary title is vested or whose interest is manifested by the actual and beneficial use of the property, even though the title is vested in another. A victim of an offense, as defined in paragraph (v) of this section, may also be an owner if he or she has a present legally cognizable ownership interest in the property forfeited. A nominal owner of property will not be treated as its true owner if he or she is not its beneficial owner.

(m) The term person means an individual, partnership, corporation, joint business enterprise, estate, or other legal entity capable of owning property.

(n) The term petition means a petition for remission or mitigation of forfeiture under the regulations in this part. This definition includes a petition for restoration of the proceeds of sale of forfeited property and a petition for the value of forfeited property placed into official use.

(o) The term petitioner means the person applying for remission, mitigation, restoration of the proceeds of sale, or for the appraised value of forfeited property, under the regulations in this part. A petitioner may be an owner as defined in § 9.2(l), a lienholder as defined in § 9.2(j), or a victim as defined in § 9.2(v), subject to the limitations of § 9.8.

(p) The term property means real or personal property of any kind capable of being owned or possessed.

(q) The term record means a series of arrests for related crimes, unless the arrestee was acquitted or the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence; a conviction for a related crime or completion of sentence within ten years of the acquisition of the property subject to forfeiture; or two convictions for a related crime at any time in the past.

(r) The term related crime as used in § 9.2(q) and § 9.6(e) means any crime similar in nature to that which gives rise to the seizure of property for forfeiture. For example, where property is seized for a violation of the federal laws relating to drugs, a related crime would be any offense involving a violation of the federal laws relating to drugs or the laws of any state or political subdivision thereof relating to drugs.

(s) The term related offense as used in § 9.8 means:

(1) Any predicate offense charged in a Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) count for which forfeiture was ordered; or

(2) An offense committed as part of the same scheme or design, or pursuant to the same conspiracy, as was involved in the offense for which forfeiture was ordered.

(t) The term Ruling Official means any official to whom decision making authority has been delegated pursuant to § 9.1(b).

(u) The term seizing agency means the federal agency that seized the property or adopted the seizure of another agency for federal forfeiture.

(v) The term victim means a person who has incurred a pecuniary loss as a direct result of the commission of the offense underlying a forfeiture. A drug user is not considered a victim of a drug trafficking offense under this definition. A victim does not include one who acquires a right to sue the perpetrator of the criminal offense for any loss by assignment, subrogation inheritance, or otherwise form the actual victim, unless that person has acquired an actual ownership interest in the forfeited property.

(w) The term violator means the person whose use or acquisition of the property in violation of the law subjected such property to seizure for forfeiture.

CFR

9.2—Definitions.