Justice Dept can seize funds from white supremacist convicted in deadly Charlottesville car attack
CBSN
The Justice Department can seize money that has recently flowed into the prison inmate account of white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr., the Ohio man who in 2017 rammed his car into a group of anti-racism protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one.
A federal judge in Virginia has ruled law enforcement officials can take and use the funds to pay for some of the approximately $80,000 in unpaid fines and restitution owed by Fields in his criminal case.
Fields, who pleaded guilty to several federal hate crimes charges in the deadly car attack that killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and wounded dozens more, is serving a life sentence in prison. According to prosecutors, he has amassed "significant funds" in his prison inmate account at the federal prison facility in Springfield, Missouri. Though the exact amount in Fields's inmate account is unclear, the Justice Department sought to seize at least $650 of the funds, arguing "various individuals" have been sending money to Fields.
