• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Gardner & Mendoza, PC

Award Winning Immigration Law Firm

Call Now To Schedule Your Consultation (757) 464-9224
Contact Us

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Attorneys
      • John Gardner
      • Radlyn Mendoza
      • Sarah K.F. Lollar
      • Domini Samson
    • Our Star Staff
    • Job Openings
  • What We Do
    • Marriage & Fiance Visas
    • Family-Based Immigration
      • I-130 Petition For Your Family Members
      • EB-5 Investor Visas for Families
      • R-1 Religion Visas for Families
    • Citizenship and Naturalization
    • Green Cards
      • Green Card Renewal
    • Employment-Based Immigration
    • Military Immigration
    • Adjustment of Status
    • Business Immigration
    • DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Immigration Service
    • Criminal Immigration
      • Marriage Fraud
    • See All Immigration Services
  • Information
    • Visa Processing Times
    • Immigration Blog
    • Immigration Visa Overview
    • Different Immigration Visas & Forms
    • Newsletters
    • Immigration Video Library
    • Photo & Video Gallery
    • Pay Your Bill
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • En Espanol
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Attorneys
      • John Gardner
      • Radlyn Mendoza
      • Sarah K.F. Lollar
      • Domini Samson
    • Our Star Staff
    • Job Openings
  • What We Do
    • Marriage & Fiance Visas
    • Family-Based Immigration
      • I-130 Petition For Your Family Members
      • EB-5 Investor Visas for Families
      • R-1 Religion Visas for Families
    • Citizenship and Naturalization
    • Green Cards
      • Green Card Renewal
    • Employment-Based Immigration
    • Military Immigration
    • Adjustment of Status
    • Business Immigration
    • DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Immigration Service
    • Criminal Immigration
      • Marriage Fraud
    • See All Immigration Services
  • Information
    • Visa Processing Times
    • Immigration Blog
    • Immigration Visa Overview
    • Different Immigration Visas & Forms
    • Newsletters
    • Immigration Video Library
    • Photo & Video Gallery
    • Pay Your Bill
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • En Espanol
Call
Contact
Blog

What to Do if the CBP Takes $10,000+ of Your Money While Traveling

Why is this man smiling? I’ll tell you in a minute. But first, a story. The smiling man pictured here is my client – he was traveling to the Philippines via Detroit carrying about $13,000. $10,000 was in U.S. dollars and the rest was in Philippine pesos. Smiling man is a very hard working man as my Filipino clients are. He works and saves, works and saves. He was traveling back home to the Philippines with all this money to help repair his mom’s home and to throw her a birthday party. Good guy.

Post image8

How shocked, upset and dismayed do you think he was when CBP took his money in Detroit? Smiling man didn’t know he had to declare money or “negotiable monetary instruments” valued at $10,000 or more. You need to declare it or have it taken away/seized. CBP didn’t just take the amount above and beyond $10,000 or more – they took it all – $13,000. “Owie”, as my 4-year old would say. No home repairs, no birthday party for mom.

When he returned to the U.S. from his trip to the Philippines, he received a scary letter from the Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures Office (FP&F), giving him complicated and confusing options on how to get his money back. There were deadlines, and he had to act fast – he had no idea on how to proceed and what documentation he had to provide to the FP&F to get his money back. He considered writing off the money, but a friend referred him to our office.

After we got involved, I chose the option that I knew would result in the quickest return of his money and the smallest penalty. Getting my client’s money back fast was a top priority for me (and for him). And quick it was. Within 30 days, due to the right option chosen and other factors, I was negotiating the return of my client’s money and the penalty he would have to pay. The quick turn-around was due to our knowledge and expertise of the procedures, the deadlines and making the right choices.

So, here’s the answer to my first question of “why is this man smiling?” The reason, of course, is because we were able to get all of his money back minus $500 directly deposited into his bank account. If you see him, ask him to take you to lunch – he just got back $13,000 that he wasn’t sure he would ever see again.

If you’ve had money seized by Customs and Border Protection during your travels into or out of the U.S., we can help. Give us a call at (757) 464-9224 or contact us online for a free consultation right away!

Related posts:

  1. Watch Out for School Buses and School Zones
  2. Citizenship Day 2019
  3. Get Peace of Mind with Gardner & Mendoza
  4. One Good Reason You Need to Lawyer Up

Filed Under: Immigration Blog Articles

Primary Sidebar

Get Help Now

Contact Us

Practice Areas


  • Family Immigration

  • Citizenship &
    Naturalization

  • Military Immigration

  • Business Immigration

  • DACA


  • Processing Times

  • Other Immigration

Testimonials

Well, hard to believe… job done! I’m frank to admit I had no idea that it would be so involved compared to 10 years ago when I did the renewal myself. Happily I was fortunate enough to find the best people to help get it done this time. When I was a working stiff it was mostly as a field guy in sales & marketing. High tech communication in those days was a pay phone in customers’ lobbies, so someone back in the office skilled in dealing w/problems was absolutely essential when I couldn’t be contacted. Most of those who supported me that way were good at what they did, some were outstanding. None were better than you!! This tedious & sometimes worrisome process would have been unbearable without your keeping it, & me, on track. So we want to extend our thanks to you and Radlyn. Hoping for Gardner & Mendoza to continue the good work for many years to come. - Anonymous
Gardner and Mendoza Law Firm is a great law firm no matter what kind of situation you may be in! For example I had court today, John Gardner, my attorney represented me today and got the charged dismissed totally the first time we both appeared in front of the judge in Virginia Beach Traffic Court. He uses every bit of knowledge he can to help you get the best results!! He also works very well with Latinos! They have a Spanish speaking person in their office at all times!! - Sebastian
My husband and I had a great experience with Mrs. Mendoza. She provided excellent information and a sense of urgency with every step of our immigration process. Her team was always supportive in getting us the information we needed throughout the whole process. This legal firm also treats their clients with the highest levels of respect. In all of Virginia I would say that the Gardener & Mendoza team is the best recommendation for same sex immigration cases and for immigration cases in general. It was a pleasure to work with them. - Anonymous
I Highly Recommend Radlyn Mendoza, An Excellent Immigration Lawyer. My wife and I were very worried about my wife’s immigration and legal status. We were quite impressed with Attorney Mendoza during our initial consultation. She proved to be a smart, knowledgeable, and very capable immigration attorney. She and her staff were very helpful and responsive to all of our requests. Kudos to her and staff, especially Leesa, for successfully handling our case. Thanks for a job well done. - Thomas and Cheong W.
My daughter received a reckless driving ticket going 60 in a 35 mph zone, so understandably, I was very concerned. In court, Mr. Gardner was able to get the reckless driving charge and ticket completely dismissed due to his knowledge of what the police officer had to present in court. Mr. Gardner was a familiar face to the judge and the clerks in the Virginia Beach courthouse. When we contacted John Gardner’s office at Gardner & Mendoza, he and his staff made us feel comfortable by explaining the whole process to us. His track record and the reviews online helped make the decision to choose Mr. Gardner over other attorneys easy. I highly recommend Mr. Gardner. He gave us peace of mind and won the case too! - Michelle

Recent Posts

  • What to Expect from Immigration Policy Under the Trump Administration: Real Talk
  • Can Permanent Residents Register to Vote? USCIS Policy Alert 2024
View More Posts

Footer 1

Get Help Now

Please fill out the short form below & we’ll tell you how we can help.


Footer 2

Contact Us

Gardner & Mendoza, P.C.
909 First Colonial Rd., Suite 100
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
  • 757-464-9224
  • 757-561-0999
Speak To a Lawyer Today :

Our main law office is conveniently located in the Hilltop section of Virginia Beach, near Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and Oceana Naval Base.

Job Openings

Footer 3

Our Lawyers

  • John Gardner
  • Radlyn Mendoza
  • Sarah K.F. Lollar
  • Domini Samson

Our Services

  • Change of Status
  • Family Immigration
  • Citizenship & Naturalization
  • Military Immigration
  • Business Immigration
  • DACA
  • Processing Times
  • All Immigration

Footer 4

Facebook Pagelike Widget

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Footer 5

Accepted Payment Methods

© 2025 Gardner & Mendoza, P.C. | All rights reserved | Disclaimer