LD 1715
pg. 25
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LR 1823
Item 1

 
State, with the consent of the court and any defendant with an
interest in the property, may file an ancillary charging instrument
or information alleging that that property is subject to criminal
forfeiture.__Upon commencement of a criminal forfeiture by
indictment or information of any property that may be the subject
of any pending civil action commenced pursuant to section 395, the
civil action must be immediately stayed and subrogated to the
criminal forfeiture action.__Discovery in the criminal action must
be as provided by the Maine Rules of Criminal Procedure.

 
3.__Seizure upon finding of probable cause. Property subject
to forfeiture that has not already been seized but has been
indicted by the grand jury pursuant to this section may also be
ordered seized based upon the grand jury's finding of probable
cause pursuant to section 395.

 
4.__Trial against property. Trial against property charged by
indictment or information may be by jury and must be held in a
single proceeding together with the trial of the related criminal
violation.__Forfeiture of the property must be proved by the
State by a preponderance of the evidence.__The court, in its
discretion, may allow any defendant with an interest in property
indicted pursuant to this section to waive the right to trial by
jury as against the property while preserving the right to trial
by jury of any crime alleged.__At trial by jury, the court, upon
motion of a defendant or the State, may separate the trial of the
matter against the defendant from the trial of the matter against
the property subject to criminal forfeiture.__If the court
bifurcates the jury trial, the court shall first instruct and
submit to the jury the issue of the guilt or innocence of
defendants to be determined by proof beyond a reasonable doubt
and shall restrict argument of counsel to those issues.__After a
verdict upon the guilt or innocence of all defendants, the court
shall instruct and submit to the jury the issue of the forfeiture
of the property to be determined by proof by a preponderance of
the evidence and the court shall restrict argument to those
issues.__A special verdict must be returned as to the extent of
the interest in property subject to forfeiture, if any.

 
5.__Person interested in forfeited property.__A person not
charged in the indictment may not intervene in the criminal
action.__Following the entry of a verdict of forfeiture of
property pursuant to this section or the entry of a guilty plea
in open court on the record, the State shall provide written
notice of its intent to dispose of the property to any person
known to have alleged an interest in the property.__The notice
may be by certified, return receipt mail or as otherwise ordered
by the court.__Receipt by a person then licensed to operate a
motor vehicle in the State is
presumed when notice is mailed to the last known address of that
person on file with the Department of the Secretary of State,
Bureau of Motor Vehicles.__A person


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