KINGSTON, N.J., Dec. 1, 2009 — The Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Forsyth County Georgia has ordered that bank accounts of the Final Exit Network seized last February be released, stating that "further retention of these funds by the state would be unlawful."
On February 25, 2009 four volunteers of the Final Exit Network were nabbed during a sting operation in which a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent falsified medical records and posed as a terminally ill cancer patient wishing to hasten his own death. The four were arrested and released. Various Final Exit Network accounts containing $334,786 were seized by the GBI under the guise of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). To date, none of the four have even been indicted – much less had a trial date set.
Final Exit Network's funds were seized without warning or a court hearing based on "seizure warrants." When the state seizes property under a "seizure warrant," the RICO law requires the state to promptly file a civil RICO action to justify the seizure after the fact. Incredibly, the GBI held Final Exit Network's funds for eight months without filing a civil RICO action. The court found that the GBI had more than a reasonable time to file a civil RICO action. Because it did not, the court ordered the seized funds returned. The GBI claimed the delay was due to the time required to examine all the documents seized. The court did not accept this claim, pointing out that the GBI had spent months prior to the arrest collecting the documents and should have had more than enough time to move forward with the civil RICO.
Final Exit Network President Jerry Dincin said despite the Oregon and Washington and Montana victories in physician-assisted death and the good work of organizations like Compassion and Choices, and Hospices, help is not available for those individuals who are mentally competent and may not meet the technical definition of terminal (within six months) to qualify under current physician-assisted death laws. Many, however, may still suffer needlessly from an irreversible condition they can no longer bear, where quality of life is a distant memory and all that remains is the reality of an indefinite and hopeless future
FEN is an all-volunteer, 3000-member organization that offers counseling, support, and even guidance to self-deliverance at a time and place of the individual's choosing. President Dincin stresses that "FEN does not encourage anyone to end their life, does not provide the means to do so and does not actively assist in the person's death. We do, however, believe in the ultimate human right of people to end their life when medical circumstances justify and to have support in carrying out their plan."
Final Exit Network is a five-year-old volunteer-run non-profit that is committed to serve many whom other organizations may turn away. More information is available from their Web site http://www.finalexitnetwork.org, or by calling 866-654-9156.
Contact:
Jerry Dincin
(866) 654-9156
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