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In a recurring feature in this newsletter, I publish court documents that you won't have seen anywhere else, ones that provide a mix of true crime and real world surveillance. I call it The Wire IRL.
You can file this week's edition under creepy and weird. But it's also revealing in how the FBI is being called upon by some surprising government agencies to hack into suspects' phones.
It involves an investigation into a government employee, Ray Skeet, a 60-year-old who worked at the National Park Service, and an incident of "video voyeurism" that briefly sullied the idyllic oasis that is the Phantom Ranch of the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
According to a search warrant detailing the case: It started in September last year, when Skeet reported to a park ranger that his phone had been stolen by some "kids." When one of those "kids," a 41-year-old woman, refused to give the phone back, she was placed in handcuffs and taken to the Phantom Ranch Ranger Station. Here's where things started to unravel, the woman said that she'd been using the restrooms marked for women whilst they were hiking around the canyon. When she'd finished her business and was pulling up her shorts, she saw a cell phone facing up at her from the toilet chute and believed it had a red light on indicating it was recording a video, she told investigators. With a friend, she returned to the toilet and pretended to use the facilities. Again, they saw the same phone and the same red light, so rushed around to the lower part of the building and found Skeet there, and he gave them his phone, according to the victim's statement.
Later, Skeet was asked to hand over his phone and its passcode to the cops. He declined to provide either. Unfortunately for Skeet, the National Park Service investigators were able to send the Samsung to the FBI, which was able to unlock the device. Also unfortunately for Skeet, his ex-girlfriend spoke to the investigators to say that he'd asked her to go to his place, find any electronic items, as well as gender specific signs he said he only used whilst cleaning the toilets, and get rid of them, according to the warrant.
This case caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First, it shows the FBI can hack into Samsung models, in this case the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, a 2017 device. The feds are also hoping to search a Chromebook and a Samsung tablet they believe might provide more evidence. It struck me that even in low-profile, strange cases like this, the FBI can be called upon to hack into smartphones.
Second, I've never seen a search warrant that is looking for evidence of "coprophilia and urophilia." Disturbing doesn't even begin to describe what those terms mean.
The DOJ in Arizona declined to comment as the investigation was ongoing. Skeet couldn't be reached for comment and remains innocent until proven guilty. No charges have yet been filed.
You can read the search warrant in full for yourself here.
If you have any tips on government surveillance or cybercrime, drop me an email on tbrewster@forbes.com or message me on Signal at +447837496820.
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