Minnesotans struggling with debt have their bank accounts and pay seized with no judicial oversight.

By Chris Serres and Glenn Howatt

After two weeks without a decent meal, Van Tran looked tired and agitated as he walked into the Ramsey County courtroom for a hearing in May.

Tran, 55, a janitor and security guard from St. Paul, had waited for this chance to explain why a collections firm made a serious mistake when it seized $8,016 from his bank accounts — three years worth of savings — to collect an alleged Discover credit card debt. Tran held a police report showing he was a victim of identity theft.

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