Search Warrant for Cell Phone Handset - Required Florida Supreme Court Says

Search Warrant for Cell Phone Handset -
Required
Florida Supreme Court Says

Search Warrant for Cell Phone Handset Required - Florida Supreme Court Says a police officer is not authorized to search through photographs and information within a cell phone that was on defendant at time of arrest. Cell phone had been separated from defendant at time of search. Factually, images from defendant's cell phone depicted a weapon that resembled the gun stolen from convenience store, as well as defendant and his fiancee posing with stolen money packaged in manner described by the victim, a convenience store clerk.

Cops in the case properly separated and assumed possession of cell phone from defendantin search incident to arrest. The Florida Supreme Court held a  warrant was required before information, data, and content of cell phone could be accessed and searched by law enforcement.  Notwithstanding decisions of other courts, Conformity clause does not meanFlorida courts must apply U.S. Supreme Court's holding in United States v. Robinson in this case.

The Florida Court reasoned that  Robinson not factually or legally on point. Then in a stunner, the court found that the Good faith exception to exclusionary rule does not apply, since no bright-line rule exists for law enforcement officers to rely upon with regard to searches of electonic devices under facts of this case. 

Feds Cannot Bypass Android Security Pattern Screen Lock!

Android Search Warrant

Feds cannot Bypass Android Security Pattern Screen Lock! After too many failed attempts phone is locked. Forensic software apparently cannot read a locked Samsung Android phone. We have just posted the FBI application for the search warrant issued to Google to tell Feds how to retrieve data here: Android Phone Search Warrant

Easy to Bypass Security Screen Lock on iPhone Wired has published a "quick method to circumvent an iPhone’s passcode-protected lock screen: tap the “Emergency Call” button, then enter three pound signs, hit the green Call button and immediately press the Lock button. That simple procedure gives a snoop full access to the Phone app on the iPhone, which contains the address book, voicemail and call history."

Thanks to Wired Story here: http://m.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/fbi-android-phone-lock/


Search Warrant For a Phone? Call Casey at 813-222-2220

http://centrallaw.com/AndroidSearchWarrant.pdf

Search Warrant Gibson Guitars

Gibson Guitar Search Warrant

Gibson Search Warrant? Feds with nothing better to do spent a lot of time and money drafting this Affidavit for Search Warrant. Somehow, I don't feel any safer.


Jump to End of Article to see Previous Federal Guitar-related Prosecutions.


Gibson Search Warrant Excerpts:

"The Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. § 3372(a)(2)(B)(iii), makes it unlawful for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant taken, possessed, transported or sold, in violation of any limitation under any law or regulation of any State, or under any foreign law, governing the export or transshipment of plants. Section 3371 defines the term plant and plants to mean any wild member of the plant kingdom, including roots, seeds, parts, or products thereof, and including trees from either natural or planted forest stands.


Gibson Guitar Affidavit for Search Warrant Download Here

8. Title 18, United States Code, Section 545, makes it unlawful for anyone to knowingly import or bring into the United States any merchandise contrary to law, or to receive, conceal, buy, sell, or in any manner facilitate the transportation, concealment, or sale of such merchandise after importation, knowing the same to have been imported or brought into the United States contrary to law.

9. Countries generally establish laws and regulations related to the harvest (logging) and export of wood, timber or plants (forest products) in order to manage natural resources and regulate the commercialization of their nation's natural resources.

10. The international community uses an "International Tariff Code" system or ITC, also known as the "Harmonized Schedule" or HS, to simplify international trade in commodities including plants and plant products. Most relevant to this case is HS Code 4407, "Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded, or end jointed, or a thickness exceeding 6mm." India prohibits the export of products classified under HS Code 4407 for all plant species harvested in India, without exception."

"14. Guitar bodies utilize veneers of various wood species. Veneers are typically large pieces of uniformly cut thin sheets of wood, defined by the harmonized tariff codes under the HS series 4408. Veneers are defined as being less than 6mm thick" 

Gibson Search
Warrant
Affidavit

"The plant product imported was "Ebony fingerboards for guitars: Diospyros ebenum, harvested in India". The final consignee was declared as GIBSON GUITAR, 641 Massman Dr, TN, with Herb Jenkins listed as the point of contact."

"34. According to Matthews, since January 2010, GIBSON CUSTOM has used only Indian rosewood. Eugene Nix initially receives and inspects all the GIBSON CUSTOM rosewood and ebony upon import. Nix then kiln dries the wood andlor conditions the rosewood and ebony to prepare it for the manufacturing process. The rosewood and ebony is then shipped to GIBSON CUSTOM from the GIBSON ELECTRIC facilities when it is ready. Gibson purchasing managers are responsible for the order placement and purchase of specific species of sawn wood from selected venders. The following GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION employees are responsible for the sourcing and procurement of rosewood and ebony for manufacturing at the different GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION Divisions . . . ."

"31. SA Seiler conducted an interview with GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION employee, Eugene Nix, on November 17, 2009. Nix is the wood products engineer for GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION and is responsible for sourcing types and species of wood for manufacturing use by GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION. In addition, Nix is responsible for inspection of the imported wood to evaluate its condition, properties, and quality. Nix also accomplished all kiln drying for imported wood received at the GIBSON ELECTRIC manufacturing facility in Nashville, Tennessee, including rosewood and ebony. Nix shipped dried wood to other Gibson divisions when the wood was ready for further manufacturing. The kiln used for drying wood is located in the rough mill, an adjacent building to 641 Massman Drive. The rough mill is marked as building 653 on Massman Drive. Nix stated that Gibson uses only Indian ebony in Gibson products (containing ebony). Nix further stated the following: Rosewood used by Gibson is Indian rosewood, although Gibson had used Madagascar rosewood and ebony in the past. According to Nix, all ebony and rosewood was stored at Red Arrow Delivery Service upon import and delivery to Nashville until GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION was ready to have it picked up. Gibson's purchasing managers are responsible for actually placing orders for rosewood and ebony from suppliers and Herb Jenkins was the senior purchasing manager at GIBSON ELECTRIC. Nix confirmed he kept electronic files and email correspondence concerning the sourcing, receipt, and use of rosewood and ebony by GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION on his computer. "
 
Computers Seized

"38. Your affiant is aware that computers are used to engage in business transactions that involve the trade of wildlife and plant species. A computer may have been used to store, generate, and print documents used in furtherance of the shipments of lndian ebony and lndian rosewood, which are in violation of the laws enumerated hereinabove. For example, THEODOR NAGEL GMBH would direct their United States sales representative, Hunter Trading Corporation, to send email notification to Red Arrow Delivery Service, to authorize the release of sawn rosewood and ebony to GIBSON GUITAR CORPOPRATION upon receipt of invoice payment. In another example, LUTHIER MERCANTILE INTERNATIONAL sent an email notification to Red Arrow Delivery Service to expect arrival of a 24 pallet shipment of lndian rosewood and ebony for GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION."

Previous Federal Guitar Cases


Guitar Hero Bandit Sentenced. A man who committed an ... www.justice.gov/usao/cac/pressroom/pr2009/029.html


Second Texas man sentenced to 16 months in prison for ...... Chinese nationals Fu Yiner and Wang Hong, who smuggled items made from sea turtle shell parts, including guitar picks violin bows, were ... www.justice.gov/usao/co/press_releases/archive/2008/June08/6_20_08.html


Second Chinese National Pleads Guilty to ...... As set forth in the indictment and acknowledged in today's plea agreement, Fu knowingly sent four shipments of raw shell and guitar picks made ... www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/January/08_enrd_018.html

Feds on Twitter | 2702 Short Cut Search Warrant

What about the Feds on Twitter?

Most Twitter multimedia is handled by 3d party links. Twitter allows both public or private updates. On Twitter Direct messages are private and the sender can delete these messages. the feds noted that short URLs used to serve malicious links and code. Today we learned the feds will seek to recover direct messages and that when Twitter receives the request, they will comply and disclose that such a request has been made.

The Feds frequently use a 2702 request to short cut Search Warrant requirements. On the other hand, as of 2010, Yahoo has the following policy on 2702 requests from cybercrime investigators:

"Under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2702(b)(7) and 2702(c)(4) Yahoo! is permitted, but not required, to voluntarily disclose information, including contents of communications and customer records, to a federal, state, or local governmentalentity if Yahoo! believes in good faith that an emergency involving imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires such disclosure without delay."

Cell Phone Tower Data Admissible

Cell Phone Tower Data Admissible

Historical cell phone records of the tower sites used by a defendant were deemed admissible and efforts to suppress the records were for naught. The Florida Court found that the user of cell phone has no expectation of privacy in cell phone records of the cell towers used during phone calls. An affidavit by law enforcement stated that the cell site location would show where the defendant was located at the time he was using the phone within a half hour of the alleged crime.

Cell Phone Evidence in Question? Tell Me  Your Story Toll Free 1-877-793-9290 .

Source: 35 Fla. L. Weekly D63a


Cell Phone Tower Data Admissible

GPS Tracking Requires Search Warrant

GPS Tracking Needs Warrant

Tampa Drug Charge Defense Lawyer, Attorney W.F. "Casey" Ebsary, Jr. reviewed an interesting appeals court decision where police put a GPS Tracking Device on a car and followed him for weeks. The defendant was arrested for Federal cocaine charges. Specifically, "conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine and 50 or more grams of cocaine base."  The court summarized the case as involving "Evidence Obtained from GPS Device."

On a side note, California, has made it illegal for anyone except law enforcement to use a GPS to determine the location or movement of a person. In some jurisdictions, GPS tracking of a person's location without that person's knowledge is a violation of an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy." Some law enforcement agencies use "darts" a miniaturized GPS receiver, radio transmitter, and battery embedded in a sticky compound material. Cops shoot the darts at a vehicle and it sticks to the target tracking begins. 

The Court further held "the whole of a person‘s movements over the course of a month is not actually exposed to the public because the likelihood a stranger would observe all those movements is not just remote, it is essentially nil. It is one thing for a passerby to observe or even to follow someone during a single journey as he goes to the market or returns home from work. It is another thing entirely for that stranger to pick up the scent again the next day and the day after that, week in and week out, dogging his prey until he has identified all the places, people, amusements, and chores that make up that person‘s hitherto private routine."

The appeal centered on defense arguments that "his conviction should be overturned because the police violated the Fourth Amendment prohibition of unreasonable searches by tracking his movements 24 hours a day for four weeks with a GPS device they had installed on his Jeep without a valid warrant. We consider first whether that use of the device was a search and then, having concluded it was, consider whether it was reasonable and whether any error was harmless." The court ruled that tracking with GPS was a search. A Search Warrant was required.

The Government used the GPS data to show a pattern of travels by the defendant. The Court mentioned , "This case itself illustrates how the sequence of a person‘s movements may reveal more than the individual movements of which it is composed. Having tracked Jones‘s movements for a month, the Government used the resulting pattern — not just the location of a particular ― stash house or Jones‘s movements on any one trip or even day — as evidence of Jones‘s involvement in the cocaine trafficking business. The pattern the Government would document with the GPS data was central to its presentation of the case . . . ." The court further noted, "The GPS data were essential to the Government‘s case. By combining them with Jones‘s cell-phone records the Government was able to paint a picture of Jones‘s movements that made credible the allegation that he was involved in drug trafficking."

The Court also stated, "A reasonable person does not expect anyone to monitor and retain a record of every time he drives his car, including his origin, route, destination, and each place he stops and how long he stays there; rather, he expects each of those movements to remain ― 'disconnected and anonymous'." In closing the Court held, "Society recognizes Jones‘s expectation of privacy in his movements over the course of a month as reasonable, and the use of the GPS device to monitor those movements defeated that reasonable expectation." The court concluded its forty-one  page opinion stating the cocaine trafficking defendant's, "conviction is reversed because it was obtained with evidence procured in violation of the Fourth Amendment."

The complete opinion is a free download here. 

Technology Got You Down? Tell Me Your Story - Hit the Click to Call Me Button or Dial Toll Free 1-877-793-9290.

Search Warrant | I Phone | Cell Phone | Florida Attorney

Cell Phone Search Warrant

Tampa Technology Lawyer and Criminal Defense Expert, W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr. in Florida has spent time reviewing a rather interesting Search Warrant for a cellular telephone. Specifically, an iPhone that Apple Computer Corporation wanted to retrieve. Take a look at the 22 page warrant and what was seized for yourself: Cell phones, text messages, and email are a frequent target of state and federal law enforcement when investigating technology cases.

iPhone Search Warrant

Search Warrant for a Cell Phone? Tell Me Your Story Toll Free 1-877-793-9290 or Click the Call Me Button to Your Right at the top of this page.

Federal Defense Attorney on Search and Seizure of Electronic Devices

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney has reviewed Government policies on Search and Seizure of Electronic Devices at borders. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) policy is to treat computers, laptops, and other electronic devices like suitcases and backpacks in terms of border searches. It appears under current DHS policy, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents believe they are not required to provide justification or a reason for these electronic searches.

In a response to a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, CBP disclosed the following: Electronic devices that were searched included laptops, USB thumb drives, hard drives, cell phones, digital cameras, and even DVD disks . From October 2008 through June 2009, CBP officials searched over 1,500 electronic devices belonging to travelers.

Cell phones were the most often searched and seized devices between October 2008 and June 2009. From July 2008 to June 2009, and Border Protection (CBP) transferred electronic files found on travelers’ devices to third-party agencies almost 300 times. More than 80 percent of the transfers involved the CBP making copies of travelers’ files. Over half the time, these unknown agencies asserted independent bases for retaining or seizing the transferred files.

As a defense attorney, it appears that the best strategy when traveling is to leave electronic devices at home.

Border Search?
Tell Me Your Story Toll Free 1-877-793-9290.  





Sources: http://www.informationweek.com/news/
government/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219500468
http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/
FeaturedDocs/DHS_ForeignTravelThreatAssessment.pdf
http://www.aclu.org/print/national-security/customs-and-border
-protection-cbp-first-production-documents
Federal Defense Attorney on Search and Seizure of Electronic Devices

Tampa Attorney - Update: Text and Email Messages at Work

Up until this week a Florida Attorney would tell you that your employer can probably read your emails and text messages on company provided devices. That may change based on a recent development in an appeals court's decision. In that case, the court found your boss shouldn't read your text or e-mail messages.

Text messages were obtained from a wireless carrier and reviewed by an employer without the employee's permission. The federal appeals court sharply limited the ability of employers to obtain e-mails and text messages sent by employees on company accounts.

A Tampa Internet lawyer observes that Access to e-mail could be barred if the employer contracts out its e-mail service rather than maintaining an internal server to handle it.

One report found that about 28% of Microsoft Outlook users have their e-mail handled by an outside vendor, according to research firm Radicati Group. The ruling also gave government workers Fourth 4th Amendment protection against searches of text and e-mail communications by their bosses.

The privacy case was a unanimous ruling and the first federal appellate decision to provide 4th Amendment protection to electronic messages. Arguably, police may now need to obtain a warrant before they could access someone's e-mail or text messages.

The court found that the wireless service provider violated the federal Stored Communications Act. That law prohibits providers from providing the contents of any communication that is maintained on the service without a search warrant.

Employees had an expectation of privacy that was protected by the Constitution. Feel free to contact Board Certified Trial Lawyer, W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary Jr. Toll Free at 1-877-793-9290 to discuss how this may affect you.

Search Warrant Text Messages Tampa Florida Attorney Lawyer

Computers Car and Florida Crash Investigations

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney notes a car's black box may be used in crash investigations. Courts have held that ''the rate of speed of a vehicle can be firmly shown . . . to be so excessive under the circumstances that to travel that fast under the conditions is by itself a reckless disregard for human life or the safety of persons exposed to the speed.'' Court rules that there can be enough probable cause to get a search warrant for the vehicle's black box.

Complete Story and Court Order is here.

Search Warrant for Car Computer? Tell Me Your Story Toll Free 1-877-793-9290

Vehicular Homicide Defense Attorney Lawyer Tampa Florida

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney - Computer Search Warrants

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney reports severe limits in  Computer Search Warrants and Searches - Another court has laid out detailed procedures for issuance and execution of search warrants for computers that contain files outside the scope of a search warrant. The court ruled that the Government cannot rely on the Fourth Amendment's plain-view doctrine in cases where the investigators rely on the intermingling of computerized records to justify a broad seizure and examination of electronically stored records. United States v.Comprehensive Drug Testing Inc., 9th Cir.(en banc), No. 05-10067 (8/26/09).

The court states, “The process of segregating electronic data that is seizable from that which is not must not become a vehicle for the government to gain access to data which it has no probable cause to collect.” The plain-view doctrine is an issue courts have been struggling with.

Detailed procedures for searches of computer electronic data:

1. The government must not rely on the plain view doctrine in digital evidence cases.

2. Search must be either done by specialized personnel with a procedure to prevent disclosure investigators of information that is not the target of the warrant.

3. The government's search method must be designed to uncover only the information for which it has probable cause.

When Computers Land in Court, We Can Help - Tell Me Your Story Toll Free  - 1-877-793-9290.

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney on Computer Forensic Searches and Warrants

Source: http://pub.bna.com/cl/0510067a.pdf

Computer Search Warrant Tampa - Overbroad

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney, Lawyer W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr. , noted a recent case decided on the scope of search warrants issued in computer cases. Wired magazine noted:

"A divided 11-judge federal appeals court panel has dramatically narrowed the government’s search-and-seizure powers in the digital age, ruling Wednesday that federal prosecutors went too far when seizing 104 professional baseball players’ drug results when they had a warrant for just 10."

The Court suggested that during a computer’s hard drive search, data should be culled to include the specific data described in the search warrant. The entire hard drive should not be subject to a wholesale review. When the entire drive is seized, an independent third party should review the data. The information should be limited by the Court. The term "filter teams" has been used to refer to the third party who review data seized by a search warrant.

The Appeals Court stated that the judge reviewing the search warrant application should “deny the warrant altogether” if the government does not agree to a third-party review in cases where data will be searched.

Has your data been the subject of a Search Warrant? We can help. Call Toll Free 1-877-793-9290 .

Source: wired.com/threatlevel/2009/08/privacyboost/

Computer Search Warrant Tampa - Overbroad

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney on eMail and Subpoenas

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney notes that one court just held a Search Warrant for eMail was unnecessary, where a federal subpoena was issued. The federal Judge ruled that an Internet Service Provider must comply with the Government subpoena for E-Mail. In this cybercrime prosecution, the Government had subpoenaed the Internet service provider (ISP) and sought the contents of electronic communications. The subpoena requested previously opened or sent e-mail that belonged to the defendant.

The ISP failed to produce e-mails that had been stored for fewer than 181 days, the Government filed a motion to compel production of the e-mails' content. The ISP claimed the information sought required a search warrant. The Court ruled that the Stored Communications Act (SCA), required the ISP to comply with the Government's subpoena if the e-mails are held or maintained solely to provide the customer storage or computer processing services.

The court further ruled that previously opened e-mails stored by the ISP for web-based e-mail systems—as distinguished from other e-mail systems—are not in "electronic storage," which is defined by the Wiretap Act as storage incidental to electronic transmission and for the purposes of backup protection of the e-mail. Based on this finding, the court ordered the ISP to comply fully with the Government's subpoena.

When Federal Subpoenas are issued, we can help. Tell me your story Toll Free 1-877-793-9290 .



Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney Subpoena eMail

Source: United States v. Weaver, 2009 WL 2163478 (C.D. Ill. July 15, 2009).