Department of Justice employees are prohibited from purchasing, either directly or indirectly, or using any property if the property has been forfeited to the government and offered for sale by the Department of Justice or its agents. In addition, Department of Justice employees are prohibited from purchasing or using such property that has been purchased, directly or indirectly, by a spouse or minor child. A written waiver to the aforementioned restrictions may be granted by the agency designee upon a determination that, in the mind of a reasonable person with knowledge of the circumstances, purchase or use by the employee will not raise a question as to whether the employee has used his or her official position or nonpublic information to obtain or assist in an advantageous purchase or create an appearance of the loss of impartiality in the performance of the employee's duties. A copy of the waiver must be filed with the Attorney General. See Chapter 5 of the Asset Forfeiture Policy Manual ("Purchase or Personal Use of Forfeited Property by Department Employees").

[updated May 2010]