Federal prosecutors have asked a federal judge to order the formal forfeiture of more than $65.8 million seized from 10 bank accounts in the personal name of AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin.
Prosecutors also asked for a forfeiture order covering Bowdoin’s residence at 8 Gilcrease Lane in Quincy, Fla.
“Plaintiff applies for a default judgment and final order of forfeiture because these eleven defendants in rem were properly served, and no timely paper, pleading, or other claim to the defendant properties remain properly filed that permits any person to challenge their forfeiture,” prosecutors said.
They added that a default notice to the property had been requested, and entered by the Clerk of
Court Nov. 16. Prosecutors said all of the property — the proceeds of the bank accounts and the
residence — had been advertised for forfeiture beginning on Nov. 15, 2008, more than a year ago.
Court documents unsealed in the case show that the U.S. Secret Service feared Bowdoin had become aware of scrutiny into his business affairs last year and planned to flee the country.
Prosecutors filed 13 separate applications for seizure warrants to trap money connected to ASD on Aug. 1, 2008. A federal magistrate judge ruled that the agency had established probable cause to seize the money, and ordered Bank of America to freeze the accounts.
On the same day, a message appeared on ASD’s website that it was unable to move money in and out of its accounts. Prosecutors said Bowdoin had been talking about South America and planned to stop using Bank of America in July 2008, choosing instead to switch to offshore service-providers, including Canada-based Solid Trust Pay.
Because Bowdoin had suddenly relinquished in July 2008 what had been described as a 50 percent ownership interest in Golden Panda Ad Builder and investigators determined that Bowdoin either had bought or was planning to buy a home in another country — and because a bank other than Bank of America had closed a Bowdoin-connected account just prior to the seizure amid Ponzi concerns — investigators said Bowdoin was setting the stage to flee.
Read the prosecution motion for a formal order of default and forfeiture.