600.4708 Sale of property; disposition of proceeds or other things of value; priority; appointment, compensation, and authority of receiver.

Sec. 4708.

(1) When property is forfeited under this chapter, the unit of government that seized or filed a lien against the property may sell the property that is not required to be destroyed by law and that is not harmful to the public and may dispose of the proceeds and any money, including any interest earned on money deposited in a financial institution as described in section 4703(6), negotiable instrument, security, or other thing of value that is forfeited under this chapter in the following order of priority:

(a) Pay any outstanding security interest of a secured party who did not have prior knowledge of, or consent to the commission of, the crime, or did not acquire his or her interest as the result of a transfer that is void under section 4703(7).

(b) Satisfy any order of restitution in the prosecution for the crime.

(c) Pay the claim of each person who shows that he or she is a victim of the crime to the extent that the claim is not covered by an order of restitution.

(d) Pay any outstanding lien against the property that has been imposed by a governmental unit.

(e) Pay the proper expenses of the proceedings for forfeiture and sale, including, but not limited to, expenses incurred during the seizure process and expenses for maintaining custody of the property, advertising, as well as reasonable prosecution and court costs.

(f) The balance remaining after the payment of restitution, the claims of victims, outstanding liens, and expenses shall be distributed by the court having jurisdiction over the forfeiture proceedings to the unit or units of government substantially involved in effecting the forfeiture. Seventy-five percent of the money received by a unit of government under this subdivision shall be used to enhance enforcement of the criminal laws and 25% of the money shall be used to implement the William Van Regenmorter crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.751 to 780.834. A unit of government receiving money under this subdivision shall report annually to the department of management and budget the amount of money received under this subdivision that was used to enhance enforcement of the criminal laws and the amount that was used to implement the William Van Regenmorter crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.751 to 780.834.

(2) In the course of selling real property under subsection (1), the court that enters an order of forfeiture, on motion of the unit of government to whom the property is forfeited, may appoint a receiver to dispose of the real property forfeited. The receiver is entitled to reasonable compensation. The receiver has authority to do all of the following:

(a) List the forfeited real property for sale.

(b) Make whatever arrangements are necessary for the maintenance and preservation of the forfeited real property.

(c) Accept offers to purchase the forfeited real property.

(d) Execute instruments transferring title to the forfeited real property.

(3) If any property included in the order of forfeiture under this chapter cannot be located or has been sold to a bona fide purchaser for value, placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court, substantially diminished in value by the conduct of the defendant, or commingled with other property that cannot be divided without difficulty or undue injury to innocent persons, the court may order forfeiture of any other reachable property of the owner up to the value of the property that is unreachable as described in this subsection. This subsection only applies against an owner that is also the person convicted of the crime underlying the forfeiture action.