Man charged in cocaine case forfeits $585,000

 An Iowa truck driver arrested by Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement officers at the weigh station on Interstate 65 in Franklin in January 2002 is forfeiting more than $585,000 in cash.

James Michael Wall was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with possession with the intent to traffic in more than five kilos of cocaine, as well as possession of a firearm. He had maintained his innocence until entering a guilty plea Sept. 24.

A month later, U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell ordered that Wall forfeit the money that Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement officers seized at the time of his arrest. An advertisement Monday states that amount is $585,080 and asks that anyone who might have a claim to it to contact the U.S. Marshals Service.

At the time of the arrest, area officers touted it as the largest seizure from a vehicle in Kentucky. Wall was carrying 64 pounds of cocaine with a street value of about $850,000. The stash was found under the sleeper cab of the truck after the vehicle was stopped for a routine safety inspection.

Wall is scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green on Jan. 6.