Kermit Warren, a New Orleans grandfather and head deacon of his Lower Ninth Ward church, will get his life savings back after the federal government agreed to dismiss its civil forfeiture case with prejudice, effectively clearing Kermit’s name. In November 2020, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents seized Kermit’s money at the Columbus, Ohio, airport. Kermit was traveling home after inspecting a tow truck he considered buying for his scrapping business. In August, the Institute for Justice announced that it would defend Kermit’s life savings from the federal government’s predatory civil forfeiture practices.
