The federal asset forfeiture program is a significant component of the Department of Justice’s strategy for disrupting alleged criminal activity, and increasingly is being used in corporate fraud and other financial crime cases. See, e.g., Dep’t of Justice, Asset Forfeiture Program, FY 2021 Performance Budget Report to Congress, at p. 10.

Asset forfeiture, however, is not confined to criminal proceedings. Under the federal forfeiture statutes, the Department of Justice is authorized to seek civil forfeiture of property connected to a range of unlawful activities.