A lawsuit has been filed alleging serious misconduct by law enforcement agents, accusing them of abusing their authority to seize assets unlawfully. On January 9, 2025, Jeffrey T. Regnier, Greta Keranen, KEE Firearms and Training LLC, and KEE Construction filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Cayla Coleman, the Will County Sheriff, and other unnamed agents.
The plaintiffs allege that their constitutional rights were violated under the Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments when law enforcement officials seized vehicles and investment accounts valued at over $5.5 million. According to the complaint, this action was based on a false affidavit drafted by Coleman, an agent of the United States Secret Service (USSS), which contained misleading statements to establish probable cause for a search warrant. The plaintiffs argue that only $274,000 could be reasonably suspected as unlawful proceeds from alleged PPP loans and unemployment benefits fraud.
Regnier and Keranen claim that their businesses—KEE Firearms and Training LLC and KEE Construction—were wrongfully targeted in a civil forfeiture case orchestrated by the USSS and Will County Sheriff's Office (WCS). They assert that this was part of a broader pattern of overzealous asset forfeiture practices designed to enrich local government agencies at citizens' expense. Under Illinois law, a significant portion of forfeiture proceeds is allocated to these agencies.
The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages for lost profits due to the forced sale of stocks from their Fidelity investment accounts during seizure, which they estimate resulted in losses exceeding $1 million. They also demand attorney's fees under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing the plaintiffs are attorneys Michael Ettinger and Alexander Michael from Ettinger and Associates P.C., while no specific defense attorneys or judges have been named in this filing. The case is identified as Case No. 2025CV271.