Blount’s $19,000 Said to Be From Cash Sale of Car

A misunderstanding involving the cash from the sale of a car resulted in the confiscation of about $19,000 from the car of Laker forward Corie Blount by Ohio State Highway Patrol officers on Dec. 24, Blount’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Wednesday.

“We’re going to get the money back,” Bartelstein said. “There’s absolutely nothing to it. It was a complete misunderstanding and Corie’s completely innocent.”

Blount was pulled over for a minor traffic violation and cited for not having a license plate, according to the highway patrol.

Though no drugs were found and no charges were filed, officers seized the $19,000 in cash from Blount’s car, then turned it over to Drug Enforcement Agency officers.

Federal courts have allowed authorities to confiscate large amounts of cash when they believe it will be used to buy drugs or comes from the sale of drugs.

Bartelstein said attorneys already were working to get Blount back his money.

“Corie sold a car to a friend of his, who paid in cash--period,” Bartelstein said. “That’s all he did. It’s really a non-issue.”

Blount, who has been a Laker reserve for the last three seasons, played at the University of Cincinnati for two seasons. Blount was in New York on Wednesday voting to ratify the union agreement with the NBA, Bartelstein said.

Blount, a five-year veteran, earned $1.43 million last season and is scheduled to earn $1.625 million this season.