It is shocking how even in 2025, racism is almost an everyday scenario. But not every time the guilty can get away with zero consequences. Brian Moore Jr. of Georgia, who was a victim of an unfortunate situation, didn’t let the wrongdoing slide after the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) took thousands of dollars from him at the Atlanta airport simply because he looked “suspicious.”
According to Atlanta Black Star, back in March 2021, Brian, who happens to be black, was preparing to board a flight to Los Angeles when DEA agents stopped him. According to court filings, they claimed they had observed what they described as suspicious behavior. They questioned him, then asked for permission to search his bag. Inside, they found $8,500 in cash.
🚨Incredible news! An appeals court said Army vet Brian Moore should get every dollar back that DEA agents wrongly took from him at the Atlanta airport. When you fight civil forfeiture and win, the government should pay attorneys’ fees. pic.twitter.com/CrYZlnOt3U
— Andrew Wimer (@andrewwimer) August 20, 2025
The agents seized the money on the spot but allowed Moore to continue on his trip without charging him with any crime.
“They told me that I looked suspicious, and they were just going to take my money based off the fact that I look suspicious,” Moore later told WSB-TV. “I hadn’t done anything wrong; I wasn’t doing anything wrong.” Agents insisted they believed the money was connected to drug activity. Moore, however, explained that as an aspiring music artist he was planning to use the cash to pay for a photoshoot and a music video in Los Angeles.
Unwilling to let it go, Moore hired a lawyer and filed suit against the government in order to reclaim his money. The case stretched on for more than a year. Finally, the government moved to dismiss the case with prejudice and returned the $8,500.
But by then, Moore had already spent more than $15,000 in legal fees. It was nearly double the amount that had been taken from him. That’s when he turned to the Institute for Justice, asking them to help him appeal.
“It costs money to defend your property against civil forfeiture—in Brian’s case it cost almost twice as much as the value of the property, and those who successfully fight the government’s attempt to take their property deserve to be made whole,” attorneys with the Institute for Justice wrote. “If they are not compensated for the cost of successfully litigating their case, even more property owners will simply give up rather than contest this government abuse. And when the government takes property from innocent people, it should be the one to pay.”
Last month, a federal appeals court agreed. It ruled that the government must also cover Moore’s legal expenses.
“I felt a little bit of justice finally,” Moore said.
Dan Alban, the attorney who handled the appeal, pointed to a larger problem. Civil asset forfeiture, he argued, is often driven by money rather than justice. “That gives them a strong incentive to engage in seizures and forfeiture of cash so that they can supplement their budget and spend that money on virtually whatever they want,” Alban said.
