The government helped themselves to the life savings of my grandparents and my father.
Described how you felt that day. Insulted Insulted I felt that my father
and his father before him worked very hard for this money and I'm merely
taking it from one state to another to take care of my father and the fact that
someone can put their hand into my pocket and just take it without cause
was insulting as an American.
My dad is 79 years old he has always been a larger-than-life personality
He has worked really really hard over his entire career
to support my brothers and myself. He's just one of those guys in
the town that everyone loves he'd do anything for anyone.
Like anyone who had gone through the Great Depression my grandparents were
suspect of banks and would high money that they had saved up in little niches
in their home and my dad picked up on that and would do the same for decades
and decades after. When we moved my father from this home into a one-bedroom
apartment he no longer had those nooks and crannies to squirrel away this cash.
I had gone down to Pittsburgh and normally when I go down to see my dad I
will review my dad's finances with him and this particular time he mentioned to
me that he had this large amount of cash that he wanted me to bring back and
manage for him. Between my grandparents and my father
they had set aside a bit over $80,000. The plans for the money were to
facilitate my dad's oral care it's gonna be quite costly to get new dentures and
things like that and he also needed some significant truck repairs. I took my dad
to lunch that Saturday. By the time I was told of the money it was after the banks
had closed. My flight was leaving at 8:00 a.m. Monday morning so I had no
alternative but to take it with me. I actually had looked it up on the
internet the day before and it said domestically you can take any amount of
cash to the airport which is what I relied on and thought there would be no problem.
I went to the airport into TSA had my
boarding pass stamped, put my bag on the belt and as it was going through the
belt the TSA agent called out for assistance saying that she has something.
And I said oh that's cash I'm taking to Massachusetts. The TSA agent called a
state trooper then the trooper came and asked me a
bunch of questions and what are you doing with the money where are you
taking it where did it come from at which point I gave him all the
information that I had already provided and then the lieutenant came over asked
me the exact same questions once again and they said that's fine told me that I
was free to go then take my bag with me I was early enough I had some breakfast
went to the gate I started doing some work and I was approached by the same
trooper and a gentleman who tapped me on the shoulder and said miss Brown would
like to speak to you said I'm from the DEA I'd like to talk to you about the
money can you show it to me. I opened my bag he asked me the same questions,
where did you get it what are you doing with it?
and when I told me said I'd like to
speak to your father I said to him that it's 7 o'clock in the morning my dad 79
years old he calling him is just going to alarm him. And he said I need to
verify your story. So he had me dial my father who was awakened and quite
confused and upset. And he answered the questions that the DEA agent gave him.
than the agent turned around and said that your story doesn't match your
father's were taking this money. And gave me a piece of paper in return. And left.
My dad was left to just worry for two and a half hours when I landed there was
seven voicemails from him terrified that I had either been arrested or something
bad had happened to me. And that was my horrible day. The DEA seized the cash on
August 26th, a Monday. And I heard nothing from the DEA until mid-October
and neither my father nor I have been charged with any crime. I believe that
the government has overstepped. I am a true patriotic American. I work hard,
I pay my taxes. I've raised a family. I love America, what I don't love is the
overreach of the government. And this is a blatant overreach. My grandparents and
father saved their entire lives and taking it out of the pocket of my father
when he so direly needs it, it's just a horrible horrible thing.