More than three years after Rochester police seized $8,040 from Cristal Starling, her money has been returned.
It has taken a circuitous court fight, with a federal appellate court ruling that kept the case alive, but Starling continued to fight throughout with the help of the nonprofit Institute for Justice , a public interest law firm.
“A lot of people are fearful of the law because they don’t know their rights,” Starling, a Rochester resident, said this week. “They don’t educate themselves. They don’t do research.
“Honestly, I’ve been saying this from the beginning. It wasn’t about me. It’s about other people and how these things can continually affect people like me.”
In October 2020, Rochester police raided the West Main Street apartment of Starling and her then-boyfriend. No drugs were found, but police seized the $8,040 in currency.
Her boyfriend was arrested based on drugs found at another location. He was acquitted, and Starling pushed for the return of the cash, which she said was hers and had no connection to any illegal activity.