Judges must allow people trying to recover money lost in police seizures to present evidence on their behalf, the Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday.
Orlando Sanchez, a self-professed professional gambler, lost $11,165 in a traffic stop by West Palm Beach police July 3, 2013. The arresting officer testified he thought he smelled marijuana and found most of the money—two blocks of $20 bills—in a shopping bag on the center console. The officer claimed Sanchez said he won the money at a friend’s house playing high-stakes poker, which is against state law.
