§512 Forfeiture of Certain Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Parts

Summary

The federal government can seize and keep any motor vehicle or motor vehicle part if its identification number is removed, destroyed, changed, or tampered with. But it cannot be taken if one of four things is true: a part is attached to a vehicle and the owner did not know the ID was tampered; the vehicle or part has a replacement ID that is either authorized by the Secretary of Transportation under chapter 301 of title 49 or follows state law; the ID was removed by a crash or fire or as described in section 511(b); or a motor vehicle scrap processor has the item and did not know the ID had been tampered except by crash, fire, or as described in section 511(b). The same rules and procedures used for customs seizures and forfeitures — including taking and selling items, handling the proceeds, reducing or canceling forfeitures, settling claims, and paying informer awards — apply here unless they conflict with these rules. Duties normally done by customs officers will be done by people the Attorney General names. The terms “identification number,” “motor vehicle,” and “motor vehicle scrap processor” are defined in section 511 and mean a vehicle ID number, a car or similar vehicle, and a business that processes scrap vehicles.