Motel Caswell Trial Begins Today In Federal Court

Russ Caswell wanted his day in court -- today he gets it.

The owner of the Motel Caswell and his attorney's are in U.S. District Court in Boston today, trying to stop the Department of Justice from seizing the motel and the property it sits on.

Federal prosecutors are basing their claim for seizure based on eight drug arrests that occurred at the motel between 2001 and 2008 and more than 100 narcotics investigations involving the motel dating back to 1994, according to an Associated Press article published in the Boston Herald.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office called it "an important case" for Tewksbury and as a reminder to other motel and hotel owners that they are responsible for taking whatever actions they can to prevent criminal activity on their property.

Caswell is represented by Atty. Scott Bulloch of the Institute for Justice, which took the case Pro Bono. Bulloch has said for months that the seizure is unconstitutional and that the case is really about money. According to the federal seizure laws, the Tewksbury Police Department would be entitled to 80 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the motel and land. Currently, the property has an estimated value of $1.3 million.

More on the Motel Caswell Court Case:

Caswell To Feds: I Won't Let You Take My Motel

UPDATED Poll Of The Week: Should The DOJ Seize The Motel Caswell?

Feds Case Against Motel Caswell Dealt a Setback

Columnist George Will Tackles The Motel Caswell Saga