Jimmy Marks

Who was Jimmy Marks?

Jimmy Marks was a Romani American who lived in Spokane, Washington. Marks' clan are part of the Romanian Romani Gypsies. He referred to himself as a "Rom".

Marks became widely known in 1986 when the Spokane police department raided his home, performed searches, confiscated property, $1.6 million in cash, and $160,000 in jewelry, without a valid search warrant. The police claimed that 35 items were from burglaries.

The Marks' claimed that the cash was being held for other Romani families who did not trust banks. Marks brought suit against the city of Spokane for $59 million, and after 11 years the case was settled out of court for $1.43 million. The lawsuit has been cited as a landmark case in the civil rights of Romani Americans .