Millions of dollars' worth of silver, gold, platinum and copper Liberty Dollar medallions and related property seized by federal authorities in 2007 will be returned to their owners, according to court documents.

The return of that property, however, is being delayed until all petitions filed seeking return of the property have been completely processed and any appeals finalized.

In documents filed Aug. 14 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in Statesville by Acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westemoreland Rose, 265 of the 302 petitions filed for the return of property were approved.

The court documents indicate the government is willing to settle 27 petitions in part. Seven petitions have been denied, four are in question and one petition is to be refiled.

Despite the 2011 conviction of Liberty Dollar creator Bernard von NotHaus on charges related to the manufacture and distribution of Liberty Dollars, U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Voorhees ruled in late 2014 that seized property not deemed as contraband should be returned pursuant to ownership claims.

Von NotHaus, who faced 22 years in prison for his 2011 conviction, was sentenced Dec. 2, 2014, by Judge Voorhees to three years of probation and six months under house arrest.

Von NotHaus introduced the Liberty Dollar in 1998, marketing the pieces using NORFED, the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve and the Internal Revenue Code. The organization touted Liberty Dollars as an alternative to Federal Reserve notes, and sought to develop a network of merchants that would accept them in lieu of Federal Reserve notes.

To read the complete article, see:
Federal government to return millions of dollars in Liberty Dollars seized by authorities in 2007 (www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/2015/08/federal-government-to-return-millions-in-liberty-dollars-.html#)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
IN DEFENSE OF THE LIBERTY DOLLAR (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v08n52a20.html)
LIBERTY DOLLAR FIRM REBRANDED AS LIBERTY NUMISMATICS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v10n52a17.html)
LIBERTY DOLLAR FOUNDER VON NOTHAUS AWAITS HIS FATE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n45a11.html)
LIBERTY DOLLAR CREATOR TO BE SENTENCED (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n47a27.html)