That's a fair question. So long as the owner is still the defendant and the owner is charged with an actual crime, I don't have a problem with assets being 'imprisoned' similarly to people to prevent them disappearing during a trial in case they need to change hands in a judgment/sentence. However, they should not become the property of the state, which is what happens in civil forfeiture confiscations by default. An public or private escrow service seems like the most appropriate solution in your scenario.