Skip to main content

The Raid

Government Seizure and Return of Liberty Dollar Assets

In November 2007, the U.S. Government executed seizure warrants at several locations associated with the Liberty Dollar Organization (LDO) and Bernard von NotHaus. These seizures followed accusations that the Liberty Dollar currency system violated federal counterfeiting laws. Authorities confiscated a significant quantity of precious metals, specie, and related materials. Below is a detailed overview of the seized assets and their subsequent return.

Items Seized by the Government

From Sunshine Minting (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho): Over two days, FBI and other tyrannical Federal law enforcement agents seized:

  • 11 Silver Bars and Silver Scrap (totaling 10,720.60 troy ounces; approximately 800-900 lbs)
  • 168,599 Silver Troy Ounce Specie
  • 147 Gold Troy Ounce Specie
  • 17 Gold 0.05 Troy Ounce Specie
  • 710 Silver 0.5 Troy Ounce Specie
  • 16,000.05 Troy Ounces of Raw Silver (around 1,300 lbs)
  • Two recalled shipments, each containing 1,000 half-ounce silver specie

Investigators confirmed Sunshine Minting was storing both minted and raw silver on behalf of the Liberty Dollar Organization, along with related entities such as the Royal Hawaiian Mint.

From Liberty Dollar Organization Headquarters (Evansville, Indiana): On the same day, agents seized from the NORFED Fulfillment Office:

  • 3,039.375 pounds of copper rounds
  • 5,930.32 Troy Ounces of silver specie
  • 63.24 Troy Ounces of gold specie
  • 3 platinum specie
  • $254,424.09 in U.S. currency

These assets represented Liberty Dollars in active circulation and currency from transactions.

From Asheville, North Carolina (Residence of a co-defendant):

  • 100 copper rounds (each weighing 1 AVDP ounce)

Additional Seizure Information: The raw silver totaling 16,000.05 troy ounces was held in a "safekeeping" account (SK2), opened by Mary NotHaus, Bernard von NotHaus' mother. The court later confirmed that this silver was legally purchased using personal retirement funds.

Authorities also seized various dies, molds, and casts used in manufacturing Liberty Dollars, some featuring mixed insignias with Hawaii Dala symbols. The seized silver bars and scrap metal were identified for future Liberty Dollar production.

Items Ordered Returned by the Court:

The court ruled that certain items, not classified as "contraband" or "counterfeit," were to be returned to their lawful owners, including:

  • Liberty Dollar specie minted between 1998 and 2004
  • Specie without denominations or dollar signs
  • Specie produced before the U.S. Mint’s 2006 public warning
  • Specie with mixed designs (Liberty Dollar and Hawaii Dala)
  • 16,000.05 Troy Ounces of raw silver owned by Mary NotHaus

The court concluded these items were not directly associated with criminal activities or were legally owned by third parties.

Bernard von NotHaus was convicted in 2011 on charges of conspiracy, counterfeiting, and related offenses. The partial return of seized property highlighted the complexity of distinguishing legitimate private assets from items directly linked to 'criminal activities'.