Asset restraint is often the government’s most powerful move—sometimes more powerful than the criminal charge itself. Accounts can be frozen before an arrest. Banks can “de-risk” a customer overnight. Payment chains can collapse. A business can be functionally shut down by restraint orders, blocked funds, or compliance escalations long before any court adjudicates the underlying allegations.
Levin & Associates represents individuals, families, and businesses in high-stakes matters involving asset restraint, seizure, forfeiture exposure, and loss of financial access. The firm is frequently engaged at the earliest—and most consequential—stage: when funds are frozen, property is seized, or a bank relationship is under threat and immediate action is required to preserve liquidity, protect operations, and prevent temporary measures from becoming permanent outcomes.
This practice is led by Duncan Levin, a former federal prosecutor and former Chief of Asset Forfeiture in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. His career has been concentrated in financial enforcement and the mechanisms by which money and property become leverage—through seizures, forfeiture theories, bank-intermediary pressure, and parallel proceedings. That background allows the firm to evaluate quickly what is actually driving the restraint or freeze (criminal process, civil forfeiture posture, sanctions/AML risk, or a mix), and to deploy a strategy that is both legally rigorous and operationally effective.
Levin & Associates’ work in this area commonly includes:
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Emergency response to seizures and restraint orders, including rapid assessment of exposure, timelines, and available relief
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Litigation and strategy in criminal and civil forfeiture matters, including challenges to “proceeds” and “facilitation” theories, tracing, and substitute-asset claims
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Third-party and innocent-owner claims, contested property interests, and recovery strategies for non-target owners
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Coordinated forfeiture strategy alongside criminal defense, internal investigations, regulatory inquiries, or civil litigation
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Bank account freezes, de-risking, and payment disruption: advising clients when banks restrict or terminate relationships due to perceived sanctions/AML risk, adverse information, or compliance escalations
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Bank-facing documentation and advocacy designed to restore access, reduce ongoing restrictions, and protect against cascading closures across institutions
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Cross-border complications, including situations involving foreign counterparties, correspondent banking pathways, and compliance sensitivity
These matters demand discretion, speed, and a deep understanding of how financial intermediaries behave under enforcement and compliance pressure. Levin & Associates is built for that reality: senior-level attention, disciplined fact development, and a strategy designed to preserve assets and financial access while the larger matter is resolved.