U.S. Attorney Heap announces over three million dollars disbursed in equitable sharing to local law enforcement partners and federal agencies

Date: Jan. 20, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Savannah, GA – Margaret E. Heap, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, today announced that, based on joint criminal investigations conducted by federal, state, and local partners in the Southern District of Georgia, the federal government has disbursed $3,072,605 in equitable sharing of forfeited assets to over 50 local law enforcement partners and federal agencies for the 2025 fiscal year.

“The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the FBI, DEA, IRS, USPIS, and our local and state law enforcement partners, worked diligently to locate and forfeit these assets,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “These ill-gotten gains included cash, money in bank accounts, and real estate, and were connected to a wide variety of criminal activity, including domestic and international drug trafficking, illegal pill mills, money laundering, and wildlife trafficking. Once taken from the hands of criminals, these funds will now be used to enhance South Georgia law enforcement departments and investigations.”

The following local and state law enforcement partners received proceeds from forfeited assets, which were seized by the FBI and DEA:

Appling County Sheriff’s Office

Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office

Baker County Sheriff’s Office

Blackshear Police Department

Burke County Sheriff’s Office

Camden County Sheriff’s Office

Chatham County Police Department

Chatham County Sheriff’s Department

City of Alpharetta Police Department

City of Douglas Police Department

City of Pooler Police Department

City of San Jose Police Department

Clay County Sheriff’s Office

Coffee County Sheriff’s Department

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office

Dekalb County Police Department

Effingham County Sheriff’s Office

Fernandina Beach Police Department

Florida Department of Law Enforcement

Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Georgia Department of Community Supervision

Georgia National Guard

Georgia Ports Authority Police Department

Glynn County Police Department

Glynn County Sheriff’s Office

Green Cove Springs Police Department

Greenwood Police Department

Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office

Gwinnett County Police Department

Heard County Sheriff’s Office

Jacksonville Beach Police Department

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office

Jonesboro Police Department

Laurens County Sheriff’s Office

Liberty County Sheriff’s Office

McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office

Mesa County Sheriff’s Office

Metter Police Department

Nassau County Sheriff’s Office

Oconee District Attorney’s Office

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office

Redwood City Police Department

Richmond County Sheriff’s Office

Riverdale Police Department

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department

Santa Clara Police Department

Savannah Police Department

Spalding County Sheriff’s Department

Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office

Treutlen County Sheriff’s Office

Ware County Sheriff’s Office; and

Waycross Police Department

“Asset forfeiture ensures that criminals do not profit from their crimes, while directly strengthening the law enforcement agencies that protect our communities,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Through close collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners, the FBI is committed to dismantling criminal enterprises and reinvesting seized assets into the tools, training, and resources needed to keep South Georgia safe.”

The Department of Justice’s (Justice) Asset Forfeiture Program encompasses the seizure, forfeiture, and disposition of assets that represent the proceeds of, or were used to facilitate, federal crimes. The Attorney General exercises statutory authority to manage the Program. See 28 U.S.C. § 524(c)(1) (establishing the Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF), managed by the Attorney General). One of the ancillary benefits of asset forfeiture is the potential to share federal forfeiture proceeds in appropriate cases with cooperating state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies through equitable sharing. The Program enhances cooperation among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement by providing valuable additional resources to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies assisting with investigations into violations of federal laws. However, the Program is designed to supplement and enhance, not supplant, appropriated agency resources.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.