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Tampa Federal Defense Attorney Reports - Supreme Court Tosses Drug Conviction

Tampa Federal Criminal Drug Defense Attorney reports a huge win at the US Supreme Court. Court decided that reports of state forensic drug lab analysts stating that material seized by police and connected to defendant was cocaine of certain quantity were inadmissible since they violated defendant's Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses against him.

An earlier Court ruling in Crawford v. Washington, helped the Court to rule that certificates are affidavits, which fall within ''core class of testimonial statements'' covered by Confrontation Clause. The drug reports claimed that substance found in defendant's possession was, cocaine of certain weight. Where the sole purpose of drug affidavits was to provide prima facie evidence of substance's composition, quality, and net weight, Defendants are now entitled to be confronted with the laboratory analysts at trial.

When the government attempts to bury those charged with a mountain of paper ''evidence'', Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr. is standing by to dig out. Stop worrying and call toll free 1-877-793-9290 .

Source: 21 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S990a


Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney Drug Charges

Florida Cyberstalking - Attorney's Legal Issues for Lawyers

To prove the crime of Cyber Stalking, § 784.048(2), Fla. Stat. the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt: The Defendant willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly cyberstalked the alleged victim.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law, "Harass" means engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law, "Cyberstalk" means engage in a course of conduct to communicate, by or through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, causing substantial emotional distress and serving no legitimate purpose.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law, "Course of conduct" means a pattern of conduct, a series of acts over a period of time, evincing a continuity of purpose. Constitutionally protected speech is not included within the meaning of "course of conduct."

Under Florida Cyberstalking law,, "Credible threat" means a threat made with intent to cause the target of the threat to reasonably fear for safety. The threat must be against the life of, or a threat to cause bodily injury.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law, "Cyberstalk" means to engage in a course of conduct to communicate, words, images, or language by or through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, causing substantial emotional distress and serving no legitimate purpose.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law the penalties are: Any person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses, or cyberstalks another person commits the offense of stalking, a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law the crimes are: Any person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses, or cyberstalks another person, and makes a credible threat with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of death or bodily injury of the person, or the person's child, sibling, spouse, parent, or dependent, commits the offense of aggravated stalking, a felony of the third degree.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law the crimes can be: Any person who, after an injunction for protection against repeat violence, sexual violence, or dating violence pursuant to s. 784.046, or an injunction for protection against domestic violence pursuant to s. 741.30, or after any other court-imposed prohibition of conduct toward the subject person or that person's property, knowingly, willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses, or cyberstalks another person commits the offense of aggravated stalking, a felony of the third degree.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law the crime can be: Any person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses, or cyberstalks a minor under 16 years of age commits the offense of aggravated stalking, a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law the government can: Arrest, without a warrant, any person he or she has probable cause to believe has violated the provisions of this section.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law the penalties can be enhanced for: Any person who, after having been sentenced for a violation of s. 794.011, s. 800.04, or s. 847.0135(5) and prohibited from contacting the victim of the offense under s. 921.244, willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses, or cyberstalks the victim commits the offense of aggravated stalking, a felony of the third degree.

Under Florida Cyberstalking law the punishment imposed under this section shall run consecutive to any former sentence imposed for a conviction for any offense under s. 794.011, s. 800.04, or s. 847.0135(5).

Cyberstalking - Attorney Legal Issues for Lawyers

Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer W.F. "Casey" Ebsary Jr. has experience in litigating cyberstalking issues. Call him Toll Free at 1-877-793-9290.

Florida Loan Prosecutions to Skyrocket According to Feds

Loan prosecutions in Federal Court in the Middle District of Florida - here is what to expect in terms of filings from the US Attorney's Office in Tampa, Florida.

White Collar prosecutions will surge as FBI and Federal authorities will put substantially more effort into white collar prosecutions. While It may take two (2) years before we see filings involving the big conspiracies - many smalller financial fraud cases will be coming soon. For example, single-person doing 3 mortgages he or she took out. Ft. Myers and Charlotte County is expected to have the most prosecutions in our district and may be the epicenter of these cases in the United States. Indictments should be coming along very soon. The need for expert services will increase.

Bank Fraud charges arise from defrauding an FDIC insured institution, under 18 USC Section 1344.

Federal Criminal Defense Attorney, W. F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr., is available to help when the feds come knocking. Call Toll Free 1-877-793-9290.

Loan Fraud Prosecutions

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Selected for 2009 Super Lawyers

W.F. "Casey" Ebsary, Jr., was again selected for inclusion on the Florida Super Lawyers list for 2009. Only five percent of Florida attorneys have been named to the list. He was selected through an extensive process of peer nominations, blue ribbon panel review and independent research.

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer

Federal Criminal Defense Attorney on Federal Criminal Complaints

Federal Criminal Complaints are used by Federal Agents before indictments are sought. A typical complaint can be found here: Federal Criminal Complaint

W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr. is a specialist in criminal trial law and is available Toll Free to help with these types of allegations. 1-877-793-9290.

Computer Hard Drive Suppressed Florida Federal Criminal Defense Attorney

Florida Federal Criminal Defense Attorney in Tampa notes that a computer hard drive has been thrown out or evidence. Federal Court of Appeals rules: Delay of twenty-one days in obtaining warrant for search of hard drive after it had been lawfully seized from defendant's residence was unreasonable under circumstances. Court held: Motion to suppress should have been granted

Source: 21 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. C1763a

Computer Hard Drive Suppressed Florida Federal Criminal Defense Attorney

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney on Juror Misconduct

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr. , notes that the New York Times has uncovered a rash of mistrials resulting from jurors using technology during voir dire (jury selection) and throughout the trial and deliberations.

During a federal drug trial in Florida a juror admitted that he had been doing research on the case on the Internet The judge had instructed the jury not to rely on evidence not presented in court. The other eight jurors had been doing the same thing. The judge declared a mistrial- pulling the plug on an eight-week trial.

The complete story is available here.

Tampa Federal Criminal Defense Attorney on Juror Misconduct

Forensic Science in Doubt in Florida Federal and State Courts

The National Research Council (NRC) reviewed forensic practices in this country and concluded industry standards are in need of serious upgrading. The results of this study are published in: Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. The report found: a lack of mandatory and enforceable standards based on research and testimony; unacceptable backlogs in local and state laboratories; lack of ties to research universities; and lack of central governance to correct weaknesses in the field.

NRC recommended changes:

* Stronger leadership to strengthen forensic science through an independent National Institute of Forensic Science;

* Certification for forensic science professionals and accreditation for laboratories;

* Results which indicate the level of uncertainty in the measurements of DNA analysis;

* Court testimony grounded in science which acknowledge uncertainties; etc.

The computer forensic team used by Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr., helps level the field when federal or state crime labs line up on the other side. Call Toll Free 1-877-793-9290. Get some help today.

Computer Forensics, electronic discovery, eDiscovery, Florida Financial Fraud Defense Attorney, Internet Expert Attorney Florida, Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney

Tampa Bay House Flipper Sent to Federal Prison

A Tampa Bay House Flipper was Sent to Federal Prison this week according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida and the St Pete Times. Judge James D. Whittemore called him "a good example of why we are in an economic crisis," and sentenced a Clearwater house flipper to 13 months in prison for lying on applications for loans.

"It's simple greed, and we're going to see a lot more of it in this court than we should in coming years," the Judge continued "The harm occasioned by mortgage fraud is not just economic, it is much broader than lenders simply losing money."

"You knew better," the Judge told him, "You did what millions of people have done, and look where we are today."

As noted numerous times by Tampa's Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr., the fallout from recent economic events will be landing in State and Federal Courts. Casey is available to consult on these matters Toll Free at 877-793-9290.

House Flipper Sent to Federal Prison

Florida Financial Fraud Defense Attorney on Uptick in Prosecutions

Florida Financial Fraud Defense Attorney, W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr., expects an uptick in Prosecutions. According to the New York Times, Senators have introduced new legislation to increase enforcement and detection of white-collar crime in the wake of the $50 billion fraud allegedly perpetrated by Bernard L. Madoff. There is a proposal to add $110 million to the budgets of the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the F.B.I. to help crack down on Wall Street fraud. The new legislation is known as the Supplemental Anti-Fraud Enforcement (“SAFE”) Markets Act. The F.B.I. would get the bulk of the funds, $80 million, to hire 500 new agents in its white-collar crime division.

Florida Financial Fraud Defense Attorney, W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr., is available toll free at 1-877-793-9290.

Florida Financial Fraud Defense Attorney

Mortgage Fraud Criminal Defense Attorney - Tampa Florida

Tampa federal criminal defense attorney notes interest by United States Attorney in pursuing loan and mortgage fraud cases. According to recent reports, Florida is first in the nation in mortgage fraud. Sources report that Tampa is second in the amount of suspicious loan activity. Miami Dade tops the list.

There is a new focus by law enforcement on theses case as previously suggested on this site. U.S. Attorney A. Brian Albritton told a newspaper that "The allegations that were made would fall in the range of something that our office would be interested in . . . Mortgage fraud, in its essence, comes down to lying . . .The goal of this office, given the resources that we have, is to find the most significant cases involving those lies."

A Florida man prosecuted by Albritton's office was sentenced to 10 years incarceration and ordered to pay $6.5-million in restitution for mortgage fraud. In June, four others in a mortgage fraud scheme were indicted.

Dave Couvertier of the Tampa FBI has recently stated "we would reassure the public that the FBI views mortgage fraud as a significant and growing crime problem," The Florida FBI official also stated that "Combating significant fraud in this area is a priority for us."

The Law Office of W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr., A Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer, experienced in State and Federal Courts, can provide help in defending these types of allegations. Casey is available at Toll Free 877-793-9290 and at CentralLaw.com .

Source: SPTimes

Mortgage Fraud Criminal Defense Attorney - Tampa Florida

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Internet Service Providers Become Cops

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney reports that new tools being marketed by an overseas company checks every file flowing through an Internet service provider's network — every movie, every image, every document attached to an e-mail. The software compares for matches to a list of illegal images.

W. F. "Casey" Ebsary, Jr., has learned that the invasive new technology called "deep packet inspection," allows Internet companies to analyze data flowing through their networks. One leading expert on electronic privacy in the United States says the proposal would clearly run afoul of the U.S. Constitution. The expert opines that the technology essentially sets up a wiretap without obtaining a warrant from a judge.

According to the manufacturer, encrypted files on the peer-to-peer network could not be decrypted by the technology. However, the company claims it can fool the sender's computer into believing that the recipient was requesting an unencrypted and uncompressed file. The system calculates a hash value and compares the files to the list of illegal files.

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Lawyer ISP Cybercrime

White Collar Defense - Employees and Attorney Client Privilege - Tampa Criminal Defense

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney reports that the Department of Justice DOJ has discontinued its policy that previously considered companies as not cooperating if they paid attorney fees for employees or failed to share attorney-client work product and confidences with prosecutors. The new DOJ guidelines that are intended to protect a company's attorney-client privilege, work product, and employees' right to counsel.

Executive Summary: The following is a summary of the new DOJ Policy

Credit for cooperation will depend on the disclosure of relevant facts, not on the corporation's waiver of attorney-client privileges;

A corporation's payment of attorneys' fees for employees is not a factor in determining cooperation;

A corporation's participation in a joint defense agreement with employees does not preclude credit for cooperation;

Whether the corporation has sanctioned or retained culpable employees is not a factor in determining credit for cooperation;

Historically, it has been the DOJ's policy to give credit to a corporation in exchange for its cooperation, but what exactly a corporation must do to earn such credit? According to Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip, the new guidelines reflect the DOJ's "commitment to two goals: safeguarding the attorney-client privilege and
preserving the DOJ's ability to investigate corporate wrongdoing effectively."

Important Note: The guidelines do not apply to investigations by other federal agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Criminal Defense of Florida Executives

Criminal Defense of Florida Executives - With falling markets and billions of dollars in funds alleged to be missing, accusations and investigations of purported wrongdoing are sure to follow.

If you or an employee are the subject of an accusation of illegal business conduct, lead counsel at CentralLaw.com can organize your criminal defense team. Lead Counsel, W.F. ''Casey'' Ebsary, Jr. is an AV rated lawyer, a board certified criminal trial lawyer, and has expertise in allegations involving wrongdoing using computers and networks.

Please contact us to find out how our team can help you or your organization.

Florida Sub-Prime Mortgage Fraud Defense Attorney

CentralLaw.com has assembled experts to help defend Florida Sub-Prime Mortgage Fraud cases in State and Federal Courts - A Board Certified Criminal Defense Attorney coupled with a forensics team to help fight this wave of recent claims. We can help in several practice areas, including: white-collar crime; computer crimes; and mortgage fraud cases.

With losses estimated at over $700 Billion, federal and state criminal law enforcement agencies will soon try to identify those responsible for the losses and prosecutions will soon follow. Corporations, executives and other professionals may soon find themselves targets of criminal prosecutions. Prosecutors focus not only on the mortgage lenders but those persons who assist with loan assemblage, appraisers, notaries and the like. We are standing by to help.

Historically, many innocent and tangentially involved individuals may be prosecuted in the frenzy to clean up these institutions. Prosecution can sometimes be avoided when competent counsel brings light to the true facts, before indictment. The Government claims there are two task forces are operating in the Tampa Bay area. With prosecutions on the upswing, new cases are certain to follow.

Feel free to contact us at 813-222-2220.

Florida Cybercrime Unit Tampa

A new CyberCrime Unit was officially opened in the Bay area Wednesday. The Jacksonville unit opened last year. The Tampa unit will perform online investigations of potential child predators. Other offices are in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. The unit will expand to 56 people throughout the state. The program hopes to provide support for local law enforcement agencies for investigating, arresting and prosecuting Internet predators and child pornographers.

Fort Myers, Tallahassee and Pensacola are also scheduled to open in the next several months.

W.F. "Casey" Ebsary, Jr. is a Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer, an expert, available to help in these complex computer cases at 1-877-793-9290.

Tampa Attorney on 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 877-793-9290 to discuss how this may affect you.

Search Warrant Text Messages Tampa Florida Attorney Lawyer

Computers in Court - eDiscovery Computer Forensics Update

New One Minute Video - Computers in Court - eDiscovery and Computer Forensics




Most documents are created and stored electronically. This one-minute video Computers in Court - eDiscovery and Computer Forensics - Most documents are created and stored electronically. This one-minute video covers what to do when a computer lands in a courtroom. CentralLaw.com uses professionals that are certified and experienced in providing computer forensic service and electronic data discovery services to clients. We use state of the art technology and forensically sound procedures and tools. We maintain the appropriate chain of custody. All digital evidence is stored in an access controlled computer lab. We assist our clients with all phases of electronic discovery and computer forensics including: identification, acquisition, analysis, reporting and, if necessary, we provide an expert to testify on evidence from electronic storage mediums such as computer hard drives. Video courtesy of http://www.CentralLaw.com Toll Free 877-793-9290

Florida Cybercrime eDiscovery Electronic Discovery Attorney Lawyer

New Video - Florida Cybercrime Defense Attorney

New One minute video from W F Casey Ebsary, Florida Cybercrime Defense Attorney in Florida. A lawyer with experience in computer crimes, theft of intellectual property, and many other offenses, suggests important things to consider when getting help in these areas. Toll Free 1-877-793-9290. http://www.centrallaw.com

Florida Cybercrime Defense Attorney Lawyer Internet

RIAA Explains How to Catch Alleged Music Pirates

The RIAA Recording Industry Association of America used the same file-sharing software that online pirates use, an RIAA representative said during a private demonstration of how it caught alleged music pirates.

The RIAA uses LimeWire.The RIAA has a list of songs owned by the RIAA's members. Media Sentry, runs copies of the LimeWire program and performs searches for those copyrighted song titles, to see if any are being offered by people whose computers are connected to the LimeWire network. The software lists IP address of active file sharers. The names of the people associated with particular IP addresses are not public, it is easy to find out which IP addresses are registered to each Internet-service provider. Using public databases, Media Sentry then locates the name of the Internet-service provider and determines which traders are located at colleges or universities.

Internet Computer Lawyer Tampa Florida

Internet Drug Indictments

Florida Federal prosecutors in the Middle District have charged physicians and others with running an web-based prescription drug operations and claim they are illegally dispensing millions of doses of medication.

The website operators are charged with hiring pharmacists and doctors to issue prescriptions based on Internet questionnaires, the charges say. According to the United States Attorney, Web sites and representatives are used to sell the drugs.

Prosecutors intend to prove that doctors and pharmacists are paid to review short questionnaires and then never see the patients they were prescribing medicines to. Beyond that, none of the information submitted was ever verified, authorities said.

W F Casey Ebsary and cocounsel Marcelino Huerta III have successfully defended such claims in Federal Court. Call Toll Free 1-877-793-9290 for more details and to get some help today.

Tampa RIAA USF Music-File-Sharing Case Update

A Tampa federal judge has refused to dismiss a counterclaim filed in federal court by a USF student who accuses the recording industry of using deceptive tactics against USF students named in music downloading lawsuits.

The Tampa students accuse the RIAA, the recording industry of hiring private investigators to invade private computer networks. They also accuse the industry of using the court system as an investigative arm and then extorting money from people, using private information gained from the courts to force settlements.

The record companies have sued more than a dozen University of South Florida students, accusing them of illegal downloading. The RIAA suits and the threat of suits have caused at least 64 USF students to pay off thousands of dollars to settle music piracy complaints with record labels.

Tampa Attorney RIAA File Sharing

Sex Offender Registry Hacked

One of the rules of computer coding is to check your input. Especially when your input comes from users. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections missed that day in computer class. DOC trusted anonymous user input on their public-facing Sex Offender Registry website and they blindly executed it and displayed whatever came back.

The result of this bad coding had some rather serious consequences: the names, addresses, and social security numbers of tens of thousands of Oklahoma residents were made available to the general public for a period of at least three years.

Computer Lawyer Tampa Florida Internet

eDiscovery Tampa - 2008 Super Lawyer

Tampa eDiscovery Attorney, W.F. Casey Ebsary Jr., was selected as a Super Lawyer for the second time. That adds to his credentials - Board Certified by the Florida Bar and his AV rating by Martindale Hubbell. The Super Lawyer selection process allows a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource to assist in the search for legal counsel.

eDiscovery Tampa Attorney Lawyer

RIAA Refuses to Pay Defense Costs Fees

The RIAA is only willing to pay one tenth of what a victorious victim of a malicious RIAA prosecution is seeking. The RIAA called the $298,995 figure "excessive" and said that it should be drastically slashed to something along the lines of $30,000. The defendant argued "As the court has previously found, the proceedings were complicated, prolonged, and made more expensive by the plaintiffs' unreasonable tactics throughout the case."

The RIAA is accused of racketeering, fraud, deceptive business practices, and a host of underhanded tactics such as seeking to directly contact the defendant's then-eight-year-old daughter under false pretenses. The trial judge has previusly ruled: "[w]hatever plaintiffs' reasons for the manner in which they have prosecuted this case, it does not appear to be justified as a reasonable exploration of the boundaries of copyright law." Source: ARS Tecnica

Tampa Hillsborough Florida Computer Attorney RIAA

Law Enforcement Has a Forensics Team - So Can You

In a computer forensics lab, the police have specialized equipment which prevents any alteration of original digital media such as hard drives, disks, and flash drives disks. In addition, they have hardware and software that will retrieve evidence from cell phones, such as text messages and pictures. For computers, specialized software is used to examine the computers and extract the evidence. Methods adopted from the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists, a worldwide organization for computer forensics examiners, are sometimes used. At CentralLaw.com we use a forensics expert to help sort through data used in prosecution of federal indictments and state charges, fraud, hacking, theft of trade secrets, and other forms of cybercrimes.

eDiscovery Florida Mobile Devices

Mobile devices, cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) are now an everyday part of how organizations do business. The devices transmit and receive data, log activity, and these mobile offices are as useful in discovery as traditional desktops and laptops.

The information that can be gathered from mobile devices can be forensically retrieved. Forensic data includes corporate e-mail, personal e-mail, Short Message Service (SMS) text messages, personal notes, calendar entries, photographs, address books, and inbound and outbound call logs. When placed into a timeline of events, this type of information can be invaluable to prove certain facts for a case. An expert can preserve the chain of custody and this data can be useful in litigation.

eDiscovery Florida Computer Forensics Expert

eDiscovery Florida - First Birthday for New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

eDiscovery - For Florida and the Federal Courts, this marks the first anniversary of an overhaul of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), which mandated the quick and accurate recovery of electronically stored information. Soon e-discovery will explode in the wake of the the subprime mortgage crisis.

eDiscovery Computer Lawyer Tampa Florida

Feds Claim No Privacy in Emails

On October 8, 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit granted the USA's request for a full-panel hearing in US v. Warshak. The case centers on the right of privacy for stored electronic communications. Can the Government merely subpoena mail and skip judicial review of a search warrant? The case presents the Government's position on Constitutional email and electronic privacy - that there isn't any.

Get your encryption keys ready for this one.

Cybercrime eDiscovery Attorney Tampa

Sanctions and eDiscovery

The ABA has recommended that processes and procedures be put in place to avoid sanctions for violation of Discovery rules and the harsh sanctions for violation thereof.

Use Meta-Tagging -- Meta-tagging enables a user to tag files as being an active part of an investigation. This produces a document set where parties can isolate matching files into a working result set. You must have the ability to review files in their native format without destroying file content integrity. An accurate list of files ensures that no document outside the confines of the E-Discovery scope are exposed and thus submitted as evidence. Frozen Redacted PDF files are then used for case evidence. Redacted PDFs are protected against spoilage.

e Discovery Attorney Lawyer Tampa Florida

What is eDiscovery? Expert Florida

eDiscovery describes the exchange and disclosure of electronically stored information (ESI). In December 2006 the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were changed to include specific requirements and guidelines regarding how to handle eDiscovery.

Since more than 90% of documents are now created electronically, and less than 30% of those electronic documents are ever converted to paper, these new rules are likely to have an impact on how everyone conducts business. The new rules on preserving ESI make having an eDiscovery complaint document retention policy more important than ever before. An expert may be needed to search terabytes of data that litigants may have.

eDiscovery Lawyer Attorney Tampa Florida

Forensic Computing and E Discovery Walks Hacking Suspect

A charge of planting a trojan horse was dropped because of "lack of sufficient evidence." A hacking suspect had been charged with computer tampering, a Class D felony that carries a penalty of six months to three years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000, upon conviction.

The case started when a system operator reported a system crash of its servers and its backup systems. It was allecged that suspects had remote access to the computer network through personal computers The suspect denied any responsibility for the transmission and maintained his innocence.The alleged victim "concluded we lacked sufficient evidence," The victim admitted it could not prove that the suspect was "the person who used the computer at the time the . . . system was infected by the virus." South Bend Tribune

E Discovery Computer Forensics Attorney Lawyer Tampa Bay Florida

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

A computer forensics project supported by the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ), federal, state, and local law enforcement, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) , The National Software Reference Library (NSRL) was designed to collect software from various sources and includes a Reference Data Set (RDS) of information.

The RDS can be used for review of files on computers by matching file profiles in the RDS. This will help alleviate much of the effort involved in determining which files are important as evidence on computers or file systems that have been seized as part of criminal investigations. The list is a collection of digital signatures of known, traceable software applications. There are application hash values in the hash set which may be considered malicious, i.e. steganography tools and hacking scripts.

Crack Cocaine Sentencing Guidelines Retroactive

Defense attorneys and defendants across the United States will praise the U.S. Sentencing Commission USSC for allowing prisoners serving crack cocaine sentences to seek sentence reductions under the Sentencing Guidelines that went into effect on November 1. Retroactivity will affect 19,500 federal prisoners, almost 2,520 of whom could be eligible for early release in the first year. Federal courts will administer the application of the retroactive guideline, which is not automatic.

Counsel with Centrallaw.com and Protestzone.com are available to assist in this litigation. Call Toll Free 1-877-793-9290.

Sentencing Guidelines Retroactive

eDiscovery, Cybercrime, and Punishment

43 nations have signed on to the Convention on Cybercrime drafted by the Council of Europe with considerable input from the United States. The cost of combating cyber crime committed overseas may now be passed on to American businesses. Under the new treaty, participating countries are given sweeping access to information in United States for cybercrimes that may have been committed overseas.

For example, France has strict laws addressing the sale of Nazi memorabilia. Sale of those items on eBay may not necessarily violate United States laws. However, French authorities may seek information from buyers and sellers in the United States regarding sales that are otherwise legal in the U.S. . Article 12 of the treaty may make businesses liable for "lack of supervision or control" of employees to may have committed criminal offense(s) covered by the convention. Businesses need to watch employee activity that, while legal in the United States, may violate the laws of a participating signer of the treaty.

The record retention requirements in the treaty may require business to address the electronic discovery (eDiscovery) and computer forensics requirements that may be mandated by this new law. The costs of the Treaty will be borne by the private sector.

Sentencing Crack Guidelines - Federal Cases - United States Sentencing Commission

The Supreme Court issued decisions in three important cases: Kimbrough, Gall and Watson. In Kimbrough, the court held that a sentencing court had the authority to reject the 100 to 1 crack ratio in determining a reasonable sentence under the Booker analysis. The case gives great deference to the findings of the United States Sentencing Commission regarding the crack/powder disparity. The Sentencing Commission has recently suggested that a 20 to 1 ratio would be appropriate. As a result, it is important that, if you have any crack sentencing cases coming up in the near future, you may want to continue the sentencing so that you can you can address the crack/powder ratio issue in light of the Court's holding in Kimbrough.

Additionally, a reminder that the Sentencing Commission will be meeting today to discuss the retroactivity of the new crack amendment.

A Digital Scarlet Letter

Nearly every crime is posted in massive databases. These databases are available to almost anyone - from law enforcement to nosy neighbors. There is no way to put a crime behind you, even after you've paid your debt to society. A short jail sentence – can become a lifetime criminal record in our era's town square, the Internet. To databases you are a criminal.

Have You Resold Your Data?

People think that data on your discarded hard drive is as good as gone? Good chance it’s not, even if you reformatted it. One computer forensics company analyzed 70 old hard drives purchased from 14 different places. Confidential data was recovered from 63% of the 60 drives that were still operational.

Where is the FBI Losing Data?

According to the Inspector General, An average of at least three or four FBI laptop computers are MIA (Missing In Action) each month. The FBI was unable to say in many instances whether information on the machines is sensitive or classified, the Justice Department's inspector general said Monday. The FBI has not corrected problems as urged in a report five years ago. Cybercrime theft or just forgot the machine at the airport?

FBI And Missing Laptop Computers

FBI cybercrime information has been lost or stolen. Computers used for Computer Forensics have been lost. According to the Washington Post, the FBI has lost 160 laptop computers, including at least 10 containing classified information. One held "personal identifying information on FBI personnel," according to a report. One field office reported a stolen laptop containing software for creating identification badges. Another field office reported a stolen laptop that had been used to process surveillance-related electronic digital imaging.

Government Orders Scrubbing of Computer Hard Drives

The Air Force Academy has ordered its cadets to commence scrubbing their computers for illicit or illegal material. The cadets said they have been ordered to go through their computer files this weekend and erase any improper data, including illegally acquired music and videos as well as pornography. The data destruction was ordered amidst allegations of cheating. All 4300 cadets were confined to their barracks. If there was child pornography, mere deletion of the data will not protect the cadets, as computer forensic technology can still uncover alleged cyber crimes.

Florida Computer Crime Center

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has created a Florida Computer Crime Center, code named "FC3." They will investigate computer related crime and investigate complex computer crimes. FC3 will also assist with regional investigations and work to identify computer criminals. Investigations will include cases where computers are used to facilitate or help with the crime - child pornography, fraud, banking scams, drugs, and child exploitation, hacking, denial of service attacks, virus replication, network intrusions and cyber terrorism. FC3 intends to identify and harden potential cyber targets in Florida.

Innocent Images Task Force

Steve Cole, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, explained that the Innocent Images Task Force is made up of FBI agents and detectives from local law enforcement and the U.S. Probation Office. The proliferation of child pornography and child sexual exploitation facilitated by the Internet is viewed as a major law enforcement task. Cole said, “The mission of the Innocent Images Task Force is to reduce the vulnerability of children to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse through computers,” he said.

Using the Department of Homeland Security's resources for computer forensics, the task force seeks convict internet users of computer crimes. most of even the most minor offenses include a stint in federal prison.

District Court Orders Production of Hard Drive

US v. Knellinger , Case No. 3:06CR126 (E.D.Va. Jan 30, 2007).

Government attempted to restrict defense expert's access to a mirror image of hard drive. U.S. District Judge Robert Payne ordered Government to provide copy of hard drive. The judge also ruled that federal authorities have failed to make Knellinger's computer hard drive "reasonably available" for examination by defense experts at a government facility. Judge Payne ordered the government to provide the defense a copy of the hard drive.

Florida Computer Forensics Criminal Trial Lawyer Expert

http://www.CentralLaw.com Toll Free 1-877-793-9290

Right to Search Parolees Without Warrant Affirmed by 11th Circuit

United States v. Stewart (No. 06-13076)

Court upheld the right of officers to search a parolee "at any time," even without a warrant. Faron Lee Stewart argued that, although his parole conditions authorized warrantless searches, the Fourth Amendment required reasonable suspicion of criminal activity in order to search.The 11th Circuit ruled that a parolee does not have any Fourth Amendment protection from warrantless search and seizure.

Cybercrime Computer Lawyer Attorney Tampa

FBI has 10 Computer Forensic Centers

News - IT Security News - SC Magazine UK: "'Radical changes in the information environment have exposed a requirement for significant changes in the way law enforcement organisations address the ever-higher workloads brought about by the increasing use of technology in all areas of crime,' says Dr Andrew Jones of BT. ‘The US has created a total of 10 Regional Computer Forensic Laboratories led by the FBI which act as a one-stop, full-service, fast-turnaround forensics laboratory and training centre devoted entirely to the examination of digital evidence in support of criminal investigations.' "

Computer Forensics Attorney Lawyer Tampa

Court Dismisses Complaint as Discovery Sanction for "Extensive and Egregious Misconduct" : Electronic Discovery Law

Plasse v. Tyco Elecs. Corp., 2006 WL 2623441 (D. Mass. Sept. 7, 2006).: "In this wrongful termination case, defendant Tyco sought to prove that plaintiff had misrepresented his credentials when he applied for employment. At issue were several versions of plaintiff’s resume, some of which had indicated he held an M.B.A.; plaintiff suggested those may have been submitted by “someone else,” possibly a recruiter or headhunter, and claimed he would have indicated he was only a “candidate” for an M.B.A. Previously, Tyco had filed a motion to dismiss the case, alleging that plaintiff had lied at his deposition and fabricated documents. The court denied the motion without prejudice, finding that the evidence was not sufficiently clear and convincing to justify such a serious sanction.

Tyco then moved to compel the production of plaintiff’s laptop and further deposition testimony. The court granted Tyco's motion over plaintiff's objection, and ordered that plaintiff to submit to a further deposition by July 22, 2005, for the sole purpose of identifying computers and other media storage devices used by him during relevant time periods, and produce, by July 29, 2005, all computers and media storage devices presently in his possession, under his control or accessible to him, for inspection by Tyco’s expert.

The forensic inspection of plaintiff’s laptop and disks showed evidence of tampering, including: deleted resumes, system date and time manipulations, access histories showing that various relevant documents were accessed after the court’s order and before plaintiff’s second deposition, and other fragments of relevant documents and emails that had not been produced. Tyco filed a renewed motion to dismiss the complaint, alleging that plaintiff: (1) testified falsely during his deposition; (2) fabricated a resume to support his false testimony; and (3) deliberately deleted, destroyed, or concealed documents after he was put on notice that such documents were relevant. Tyco argued that the only appropriate sanction for plaintiff’s acts was dismissal of his complaint and an award of attorney's fees and expert costs.

The court agreed . . . ."

Cybercrime and Cybersecurity

A Cybersecurity Pro Talks Shop: "Small businesses are increasingly being targeted with viruses and identity theft. This former White House adviser offers tips on playing defense . . . Howard Schmidt, former White House cybersecurity adviser (he served as vice-chair of the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board for 15 months, from 2002 to 2003) and current president and CEO of R&H Security Consulting, which works in both the public and private sectors, knows computer security inside and out.

He started working in the industry before it was big, as a city police officer in 1983, and spearheaded cybersecurity innovations in the both the public and private sector, most notably at the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, where he established the first dedicated computer forensic lab in the government. Schmidt also served as chief security officer for Microsoft (MSFT) from 1997 to 2002, and was vice-president, chief information security officer, and chief security strategist for eBay (EBAY) from 2003 to 2005.

Schmidt says that while small businesses have been slow to catch up to the security advances made by their larger counterparts, new technology allows them to employ the same level of protection affordably. Further, he says that now is the time to do it, since criminals are increasingly targeting small businesses with viruses, spamming, bot networks (where computers are co-opted and used to send spam or take over other systems), and identity theft (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/17/06, 'The Plot to Hijack Your Computer'). "

Is this the sign-off for the signature?

No Signature on Credit Cards

"The signature, that individual mark of integrity, will soon suffer another blow as shopping loses its personal touch. In the name of cutting down on fraud, credit-card users will be required to key in their personal identification numbers instead of signing sales receipts.

The change, which is expected to be rolled out in Canada by 2010, is another step in the decline of the business signature, which has been waning in recent years because of the increase in e-mail, online shopping, automated signature generators and gasoline retailers' pay-at-the-pump systems. 'The almighty signature is disappearing,' said Ruth Holmes, a Michigan-based handwriting examiner who does forensic analysis and personality assessments for clients across North America. "

Computer Internet Lawyer Attorney Tampa

Computer Forensics Tampa - Banks and Forensics

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :: "Banks are pouring money into building formidable defences against computer hackers but are only just waking up to what may be a bigger threat — the physical theft of client information by criminals in the office.
“You can have a fortress-like security system, but if you are not terribly discriminating with consultants and temporary employees, that is a terrible vulnerability,” said Carmen Oveissi Field, a New York-based consultant on computer crime.

“If people can get physical access (to a bank’s systems), the game is over,” said Oveissi Field, managing director of Daylight Forensic and Advisory, a security consultancy.

Banks, especially in Europe and the United States, are investing vast sums to make computer systems impregnable and have been warning customers of the dangers of being duped into giving away confidential information about their accounts. "

Computer Lawyer Tampa - Job-Hoppers, Take a Tip from the Bratz

Job-Hoppers, Take a Tip from the Bratz"In toy stores, she's a dancing princess, a mermaid, or a hip teenager. But behind the scenes, Barbie is kicking down doors and taking names. In a 58-page complaint filed Nov. 20 in federal court in Riverside, Calif., Mattel (MAT), Barbie's parent, accuses nemesis Isaac Larian, father of the phenomenally successful Bratz dolls, and a number of former Mattel employees of breach of contract, theft of trade secrets, copyright infringement, and racketeering. In making its case, Mattel had federales raid the Mexican offices of Larian's company, MGA Entertainment, and applied forensic computer techniques to what they found. "

To Catch Crooks In Cyberspace, FBI Goes Global - Preview

"ANKARA, Turkey -- On Aug. 16, 2005, a CNN television news bulletin alerted viewers that computers at the network's New York and Atlanta offices were infected with a new virus called Zotob. Soon, U.S. companies from coast to coast were hit. Halfway around the world, two young computer hackers in Turkey and Morocco got spooked by the ensuing media coverage, but mocked the ability of authorities to track them down. 'They can't find me,' wrote Atilla Ekici, a 23-year-old Turk, in an email to his accomplice, a 19-year-old Moroccan called Farid Essebar. 'Ha, ha, ha,' replied Mr. Essebar. . . "

Florida Cyber Crime Unit Gets State-of-the-Art Tool

Tallahassee Police Department Cyber Crimes Unit tallahassee.com - www.tallahassee.com

"Hard drive duplication is one of the first and most necessary steps required to perform an in-depth computer crimes investigation. Without evidence of a crime being committed, it is nearly impossible to successfully prosecute a case. Crime laboratory technicians duplicate the hard drive copying all of the data to a 'clean' drive for forensic analysis. . . .

The Logicube Forensic Talon is a high-tech portable hard drive duplication system that is deployed to the scene of a cyber crime. Without seizing the business's affected computer, investigators connect it to the Logicube. The Logicube accesses the target computer's hard drive and scans all of the data on the disc at the bit (ones and zeroes) level. Based on the scan of the target hard drive, the Logicube generates a unique, secure, non-duplicatable number-letter combination using a mathematical algorithm. The instrument then forensically duplicates the contents of the target hard drive copying it to a "clean" hard drive attached to the Logicube.

At the completion of the process the Logicube then scans the resulting copy of the hard drive and generates a second unique number-letter combination using the same mathematical algorithm. The two generated number letter combinations from the target computer and the forensic duplicate are compared and if they are the same number then the duplication was successful and the resultant evidence can be used for prosecution."

Secret Service Investigates

Secret Service Investigates Computer Server Attack at Georgetown University - Government Technology: "Georgetown University announced Friday that the Secret Service is investigating an attack on a server containing personally identifiable information -- such as name, date of birth and Social Security numbers -- relating to more than 41,000 individuals who may have received services from the District of Columbia Office on Aging. The intrusion came from outside the University from an individual who did not have permission to access the data. "

Computer Forensic Services

Nowhere to Hide

Legal IT: "The forensic investigation of data held on computers, laptops, cellular telephones, PDAs and other data processing and storage devices is a valuable resource in litigation and for dispute resolution. The recovery of deleted e-mails, and data cached to disk about which the user of the computer is una-ware, has proved a "quick kill" in many instances.

Where fraud, dishonesty or deception is suspected, it is always advisable to seek the disclosure of the computers or other devices upon which any suspect documentation or correspondence may have originated or resides. These should be subjected to a thorough forensic investigation.

As an example, it is important for litigators to understand that a printed document may be a deliberate deception and that the electronic or soft copy of that document may yield compelling evidence to show this. Metadata and other coding, not immediately apparent, can be examined to ascertain a wealth of information about the origination and subsequent evolution of any particular file. "

Coomputer Forensic Services

Stop Junk Faxes

"If you've got a fax machine, you've probably heard from companies that want to help you refinance your mortgage, lose weight fast and buy cheap office supplies. Some of them may even want to cut you in on the investment deal of a lifetime.

Most junk faxes are illegal. If you've never had a business relationship with the sender or given permission to have faxes sent to you, the fax is against federal law. In addition, investment-related faxes may violate securities law.

Recipients often get very frustrated.

Consider a lawsuit. If you're so inclined, you can save your faxes and contact a lawyer who takes this type of case on a contingency basis, getting paid only if you win. A simple violation can be worth $500 per page.

"We normally don't have to go to trial on them," said Clearwater lawyer James Thomas, who said the offenders typically settle. He said companies that knowingly break the law can be hit for triple damages of up to $1,500 per page.

Thomas said he relies on an extensive database and "trade secrets" to identify offenders and then collect from them."

Sources of Information:

Check out Mr. Thomas at his website, See also www.JunkFaxPrevention.com, Read more about junk faxes at www.junkfax.org and www.fcc.gov .

St Pete Times

Computer Forensics Lab for FBI

FBI Computer Forensics Lab

"Identity thieves, child pornographers, hackers, fraudsters and other cybercriminals have a new foe in town: a Cybercrimes Command Center. The FBI is establishing the command center on the LSU campus, where it will be home to a task force of federal agents, city and parish detectives and forensic examiners who investigate computer-related crime. It also will house a laboratory capable of processing computer evidence for law-enforcement agencies throughout the region.

The FBI plans to spend $300,000 to renovate and equip the former Wetlands Biogeochemistry Laboratory near South Campus Drive. The 5,000-square-foot facility is expected to open sometime this fall."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic - Focusing on Linux, iPod, Xbox

Gov't Cyber-sleuths Focusing on Linux, iPod, Xbox

"Cyber-security and computer experts from the government and law enforcement are increasingly concerned with malicious code that runs on Linux and Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS X operating systems and threats posed by devices such as iPods and Xboxes.

Intensive courses on the Mac OS X and Linux operating systems, as well as iPods, were just a few of the offerings at a recent cyber-security conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Network administrators and cyber-investigators say they are increasingly being called on to investigate compromises of non-Windows operating systems and to analyze portable devices such as iPods, according to interviews with attendees by eWEEK.

Two, two-day courses at this year's conference taught attendees techniques for forensic analysis of Mac OS X and the open-source Linux operating system. . . .

[A]lternative computing platforms will come to play a bigger role in cyber-crimes and criminal investigations in the years to come. Devices such as the PlayStation Portable, which has a large hard drive and wireless capability, will become more common and more capable of carrying out or being targeted in online attacks . . . ."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic services - Child porn cases on hold

"Shortly after 1:30 a.m., "lickercat1982" uploaded an image to a Yahoo chat room. The image posted on the chat room "teen_girls_having_fun" was that of a naked young girl in what was described as a pornographic photo. Yahoo! Inc., the Internet provider, reported the discovery to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as required by federal law.

It would take nearly two years after that report and countless hours of investigation before the Plymouth man behind the screen name "lickercat1982" would appear in court to face two counts of dissemination of child pornography. That lag, officials say, will only get longer. As authorities field a growing number of reports of suspected kiddie porn online, investigators say it is taking longer to get the right evidence for court action due to a shortage of computer forensic experts in the field."

The Enterprise

Computer Forensic Services

Hacker cracks police force network

"Thieves raid database favoured by law enforcement agencies

Major police forces across Canada, including the RCMP, OPP and the Toronto force, are among thousands of law enforcement agencies and forensic investigators whose private and financial information may have been stolen this month in a hacker attack, a published report says. Guidance Software, Inc., a private Pasadena, Calif., firm, said in a letter sent out to law enforcement agencies last week that thieves had raided its database sometime in November, stealing credit card numbers and in certain cases information such as addresses and telephone numbers for 3,800 customers.
Guidance makes EnCase, a suite of forensic investigation software that has become the standard tool used by computer crime units of police, insurance companies, banks and private computer forensics specialists."

TheStar.com

Computer Forensic Services - Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations

"The proper collection, preservation, and forensic analysis of evidence is a tremendous tool that must be fully exploited. Since its inception, the FBI has been the world leader in using science to solve crimes. During its first year of operation in 1932, the FBI's forensics unit conducted 963 examinations.

Currently, the FBI conducts more than one million forensic examinations annually. The types of forensic investigations conducted by the FBI include terrorism, espionage, public corruption, civil rights, criminal organizations and enterprises, white collar and violent crime. Not only has the volume of evidence received increased dramatically, but the complexity of the examination methods, as well as the complex nature of the investigations themselves have increased. Often, forensic analysis is the only means to provide conclusive information to a jury to assist them in their determination of guilt or innocence."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic Software Company Hacked

Computer Forensics Services Tools Maker Hacked

Guidance Software had to do a forensic investigation on its own systems after a hacker broke in and accessed records, including credit card data, of thousands of customers. . . .

Guidance, one of the leading sellers of software used to investigate computer crimes, sent out letters last week to inform its customers about the breach. Some customers have already reported fraudulent credit card charges. "There have been a handful of cases, but we're only two weeks into this, so I don't know the total size," Colbert said. . . .

Guidance's EnCase software is used by security researchers and law enforcement agencies worldwide. The Pasadena, Calif.-based company notified all its approximately 9,500 customers about the attack and has called in the U.S. Secret Service, which has started an investigation, Colbert said.

Computer Internet Lawyer Tampa

Computer Forensic Experts from FBI Investigate Failure of Dam

FBI investigates Taum Sauk failure

"The Missouri State Highway Patrol on Friday asked for the FBI to help with its investigation of Wednesday's breach in the Taum Sauk dam. Members of the Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control, which is the department's investigative unit, were at the Taum Sauk plant on Friday. They are investigating to determine whether the failure of the dam and the computer-operated equipment was an accident or intentional, said Lt. Tim Hull, spokesman for the Highway Patrol.

[T]he FBI plans to send computer forensic investigators to examine the computerized equipment."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic Services - Hi-tech brings no easy solutions

"Some of the biggest headaches for fraud investigators and prosecutors stem from modern technology. June Philips of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Brisbane, Australia, said computer technology and software allowed the cheap, large scale production of forged documents.

'The quality of forged items from passports, driver's licenses to electricity bills is astounding. Identity fraud is one of the biggest growth areas,' she said at 12th annual Prosecution Conference yesterday. Ms Philips said large sums of money scammed from gullible investors could be transferred with breathtaking speed to offshore accounts from where they were difficult to recover. "In many cases they do involve the necessity for computer forensic skills and the obtaining of overseas evidence."

Computer Forensic Services

Fiji Times Online

Computer Forensic - Arrest in Minsk Belarus ICE investigation

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "arrest was part of a global ICE investigation that focused on an Internet billing company based in Minsk, Belarus, the news release said. In January 2004, the Belarus company was charged with money laundering, providing credit card billing services for 50 child pornography Web sites worldwide and operating its own child pornography Web sites, the release said. After the enterprise was dismantled, ICE agents focused their investigation on the customers who purchased the child pornography subscriptions, the release said."

Computer Forensic - Arrest in Minsk Belarus ICE investigation

Computer Forensics - Computer holds a clue, this lab will find it

If a computer holds a clue, this lab will find it $4 million investment cracks big cases

By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star

What's the best way to get into a criminal's head? One group of area sleuths knows: Get into their computers.

That's what the men and women assigned to the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory do every day in their high-tech search for evidence of crimes. The partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies was one of the first of its kind in the country. After two years of operation, it can boast of helping crack some of the region's most infamous recent crimes."

Kansas City Star

Computer Forensics - Best Buy 'hacker' loses in court

"Excerpt from appeals court's opinion:

'An FBI computer forensic expert found three of the e-mails and other incriminating documents on the hard drive of Ray's computer. The expert testified the e-mails and documents were created by someone typing on that computer and that someone had logged onto the Internet from that computer using the screen name and password used to send the e-mails. The expert also stated there was no evidence of any type of remote access or hacking found on Ray's computer. In addition, the evidence showed Ray had the knowledge and ability to process the monetary transactions he demanded in the extortion e-mails. . . .

The appeals court rejected his arguments and upheld an 18-month prison sentence and restitution to Best Buy of $87,398. Ray also is sentenced to a three-year supervised release, which includes no possession of any "electronic device with access to any online computer service" without explicit permission."

From ZDNet

FBI Mission - Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Computer Forensic Services:

"The mission of the FBI Cyber Division is to:

- coordinate, supervise and facilitate the FBI's investigation of those federal violations in which the Internet, computer systems, or networks are exploited as the principal instruments or targets of terrorist organizations, foreign government sponsored intelligence operations, or criminal activity and for which the use of such systems is essential to that activity;

- form and maintain public/private alliances in conjunction with enhanced education and training to maximize counterterrorism, counter-intelligence, and law enforcement cyber response capabilities; and

- until such time as a final decision is made regarding the future role and location of the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), the FBI will direct and coordinate the Center's mission to protect the Nation's critical information infrastructure and other key assets."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic - Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations

"The FBI plays two very important roles in cyberspace. First, it is the lead law enforcement agency for investigating cyber attacks by foreign adversaries and terrorists. The potential damage to the United States' national security from a cyber-based attack includes devastating interruptions of critical communications, transportation, and other services. Additionally, such attacks could be used to access and steal protected information and plans. The FBI also works to prevent criminals, sexual predators, and others intent on malicious destruction from using the Internet and on-line services to steal from, defraud, and otherwise victimize citizens, businesses, and communities.

Computer Forensics Services - Top Cyber Cop

"By CAROLYN SALAZAR

Paramus detectives investigating a money-laundering scheme had confiscated a computer they suspected held crucial evidence. But its hard drive apparently had been wiped clean. At the time, many North Jersey police departments lacked the technical savvy and financial resources to investigate crimes involving computers. So the Paramus detectives did what many investigators facing similar stumbling blocks did: They headed to Upper Saddle River. . . . Before long, Donofrio proved the laptop was used to spit out fraudulent store receipts, leading to theft convictions against several people. The U.S. Secret Service took up the case when the evidence showed it was also being used to counterfeit money. . . . Since then, the office's Computer Crime Unit has grown from one full-time detective to four. It oversees a 14-member task force made up of police officers from local departments. The unit, which investigates such crimes as child pornography, credit card fraud and hacking, has arrested about 100 people . . . ."

NorthJersey.com

Computer Forensics Services - Top Cyber Cop

Computer Forensics Gaffe | Channel Register

"Hey Greg, don't turn on the PC!

A team of computer forensic investigators has pointed out that a character in a recent episode of hit TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation failed to follow a basic rule of looking for evidence: don't switch on the computer. Experts at CY4OR, based in Bury, England, praised CSI for bringing computer forensics to the forefront of public awareness; but they say it does little to reflect the correct and essential procedures that must be put in place when there is suspicion of criminal activity. Experts at CY4OR, based in Bury, England, praised CSI for bringing computer forensics to the forefront of public awareness; but they say it does little to reflect the correct and essential procedures that must be put in place when there is suspicion of criminal activity."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic Service - Data disaster

Recovery in the Lab

"One of the premier government shops for this kind of data recovery is the Defense Computer Forensics Lab.

"We now have a hard-drive repair capability," said Robert Renko, special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

OSI is the executive agency for the Computer Forensics Lab supporting the criminal investigative agencies of each military service, which have their own computer crime investigators. "

Computer Forensics Services - IT forensic investigators peer into the minds of criminals | TG Daily

"Westlake Village (CA) - The sheer number and volume of current storage devices can be tough for the average computer user to handle, but what about computer investigators that must look for criminal information? Criminals try to hide information on their 200 GByte harddrives and portable devices like an iPod or cellular phone, but computer forensic investigators can usually recover the data."

TG Daily

Computer Forensic Services - Multinational Corporate Hacking

Corporate Hacking - "The software installs itself as a Windows rootkit. That means it conceals its presence on the PC and could let an outsider commandeer the machine through IRC chat channels. The rootkit is a favorite tool of virus writers, spammers, identity thieves and now, apparently, large multinational record companies. It cannot be removed using the Windows Add/Remove Programs function. If you try to delete it manually, your PC may no longer recognize the disc drive, and you may have to reinstall Windows, just in case you didn't have enough other weekend projects. Macs and standalone disc players are not affected."

Computer Forensic Services Internet Attorney

Computer Forensic Services - Hacking

Computer Forensic Services - Hacking: "Computer Hacking: Peer-to-Peer networks also have been abused by hackers. Because these systems potentially expose your computer and files to millions of other users on the network, they also expose your computer to worms and viruses. In fact, some worms have been specifically written to spread by popular Peer-to-Peer networks. Also, if Peer-to-Peer software is not properly configured, you may be unknowingly opening up the contents of your entire hard drive for others to see and download your private information."

Computer Forensic Services - Child Exploitation and Obscenity

Computer Forensic Services - Child Exploitation and Obscenity: "Child Exploitation and Obscenity: The receipt or distribution of child pornography and unlawful obscenity over the Internet also is a serious Federal crime. The FBI cautions parents and guardians that, because there is no age restriction for the use of Peer-to-Peer services, pornography of all types is easily accessible by the many young children whose parents mistakenly believe they are only accessing music or movies. In fact, children may be exposed to pornography -- and subsequently lured by sexual predators -- even though they were not searching for pornography, as some network users deliberately mislabel the names of files for this purpose."

Computer Forensic Services Copyright Infringement

Infringement: "Copyright Infringement: It is a violation of Federal law to distribute copyrighted music, movies, software, games, and other works without authorization. There are important national economic consequences associated with such theft. The FBI has asked industry associations and companies that are particularly concerned with intellectual property theft to report to the FBI -- for possible criminal investigation and prosecution -- anyone that they have reason to believe is violating Federal copyright law. "

Computer Forensic Services Copyright Infringement

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic Services : "To Users of Peer-to-Peer Systems:
The FBI has undertaken a new initiative to educate and warn citizens about certain risks and dangers associated with the use of Peer-to-Peer systems on the Internet. While the FBI supports and encourages the development of new technologies, we also recognize that technology can be misused for illicit and, in some cases, criminal purposes. In an effort to help citizens learn how to protect themselves, this letter is being distributed and is posted on the FBI's web site."

Criminal Schemes - Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic Services - Cyber Investigations: "Criminal schemes included in this initiative include: criminal spam, phishing, spoofed or hijacked accounts, international re-shipping schemes, Cyber-extortion, auction fraud, credit card fraud, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Computer Intrusions (hacking), economic espionage (Theft of Trade Secrets), International Money Laundering, Identity Theft, and a growing list of ''traditional crimes'' that continue to migrate on-line."

Computer Forensic Services - Operation Web Snare

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations: "Operation Web Snare represents a coordinated initiative targeting an expansive array of Cyber Crime schemes victimizing individuals and industry worldwide. This initiative highlights numerous investigations that have been successfully advanced through cooperation and coordination of law enforcement, and a growing list of industry partners.

Cases included in Operation Web Snare exemplify the growing volume and character of Cyber crimes confronting law enforcement, and also underscores the continuing commitment of law enforcement to aggressively pursue Cyber criminals, both domestically and abroad. Focused efforts to pursue Cyber criminals internationally, has led to the development of enhanced proactive capabilities in several countries, and numerous investigative successes highlighted within this initiative. The development of international resources is closely coordinated with the DOJ, the U.S. State Department and a growing list of E-Commerce industry partners."

Computer Forensic Services - Cyber Investigations

Computer Forensic Services - Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations: "The mission of the Cyber Division is to: coordinate, supervise and facilitate the FBI's investigation of those federal violations in which the Internet, computer systems, or networks are exploited as the principal instruments or targets of terrorist organizations, foreign government sponsored intelligence operations, or criminal activity and for which the use of such systems is essential to that activity; form and maintain public/private alliances in conjunction with enhanced education and training to maximize counterterrorism, counter-intelligence, and law enforcement cyber response capabilities; and until such time as a final decision is made regarding the future role and location of the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), the FBI will direct and coordinate the Center's mission to protect the Nation's critical information infrastructure and other key assets. "

Computer Forensic Services - Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations

Computer Forensic Services - "The FBI plays two very important roles in cyberspace. First, it is the lead law enforcement agency for investigating cyber attacks by foreign adversaries and terrorists. The potential damage to the United States' national security from a cyber-based attack includes devastating interruptions of critical communications, transportation, and other services. Additionally, such attacks could be used to access and steal protected information and plans. The FBI also works to prevent criminals, sexual predators, and others intent on malicious destruction from using the Internet and on-line services to steal from, defraud, and otherwise victimize citizens, businesses, and communities. "

Warning About Computer Forensics

Computer Forensics: "Computer Forensics is a complex science, by necessity requiring careful preparation, and procedural discipline. Taking the correct actions, in the right order, and recording evidence properly, are often as important as having underlying knowledge of the issue. It is an area in which it is all too easy to slip up: to make a costly error, or miss a vital step. The rate of technological change is not likely to reduce this risk."

Is there anything that should NOT be done during an investigation?

Computer Forensics World: "Definitely. However, these tend to be related to the nature of the computer system being investigated. Typically though, it is important to avoid changing date/time stamps (of files for example) or changing data itself. The same applies to the overwriting of unallocated space (which can happen on re-boot for example)."

How is a computer forensic investigation approached?

Computer Forensics World: "It's a detailed science. However, very broadly, the main phases are sometimes considered to be: secure the subject system (from tampering during the operation); take a copy of hard drive (if applicable); identify and recovery all files (including those deleted); access/copy hidden, protected and temporary files; study 'special' areas on the drive (eg: residue from previously deleted files); investigate data/settings from installed applications/programs; assess the system as a whole, including its structure; consider general factors relating to the users activity; create detailed report. Throughout the investigation, it is important to stress that a full audit log of your activities should be maintained."

What are the Common Computer Forensic Scenarios?

Computer Forensics World: "Examples include:

- Employee internet abuse (common, but decreasing)
- Unauthorized disclosure of corporate information and data (accidental and intentional)
- Industrial espionage
- Damage assessment (following an incident)
- Criminal fraud and deception cases
- More general criminal cases (many simply store information on computers, intentionally or unwittingly)"

What is Computer Forensics?

"There are a number of slightly varying definitions around. However, generally, computer forensics is considered to be the use of analytical and investigative techniques to identify, collect, examine and preserve evidence/information which is magnetically stored or encoded. "

Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations

Kessler - Forensic Science Communications - January 2004: "Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations

Computer and network forensics is such a multidisciplinary topic that the first hurdle is determining what the primary focus should be. I prefer a book that focuses on technology, providing procedures and guidelines that explain both how and why. Providing the appropriate elementary computer science and data communications background is essential if a book is to provide a good educational foundation for the subject.

Legal aspects are also essential because cyberforensics examiners must be well versed in the laws that guide their work. However, not all computer forensics is the purview of law enforcement, so I come back to preferring the technical focus. Given this bias, the Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations is the best book that I have found. Although a relatively new field, the number of books on cyberforensics has grown dramatically in the last few years."

DNA from a Computer Keyboard

Forensic Science Communications - July 2004: "DNA from a Computer Keyboard

"[S]amples taken from trace evidence (i.e., hair and skin) found in a computer keyboard. The purpose was to determine whether more than one person had used the computer. A commercial kit was used for the extraction and purification of DNA and was found to be effective. Three STR loci were amplified (D18S535, D1S1656, and D10S2325) using polymerase chain reaction. The results indicated the existence of DNA in the samples from more than one person."

Validity of Computer Forensic Sciences

Scientific Validity of Computer Forensic Evidence: "Validity of Computer Forensic Evidence

Valid and reliable methods to recover data from computers seized as evidence in criminal investigations are becoming fundamental for law enforcement agencies worldwide. These methods must be technologically robust to ensure that all probative information is recovered. They must also be legally defensible to ensure that nothing in the original evidence was altered and that no data was added to or deleted from the original. The forensic discipline of acquiring, preserving, retrieving, and presenting data that has been processed electronically and stored on computer media is computer forensic science."

Examining Computer Evidence

Examining Computer Forensic Evidence: "Examining Computer Evidence

Computer evidence represented by physical items such as chips, boards, central processing units, storage media, monitors, and printers can be described easily and correctly as a unique form of physical evidence. The logging, description, storage, and disposition of physical evidence are well understood. Forensic laboratories have detailed plans describing acceptable methods for handling physical evidence. To the extent that computer evidence has a physical component, it does not represent any particular challenge. However, the evidence, while stored in these physical items, is latent and exists only in a metaphysical electronic form."

Goals in Recovering and Examining Computer Forensic Evidence

Goals in Recovering and Examining Computer Forensic Evidence: "Common Goals

These dissimilarities aside, both the scientific conclusions of traditional forensic analyses and the information of computer forensic science are distinctive forensic examinations. They share all the legal and good laboratory practice requirements of traditional forensic sciences in general. They both will be presented in court in adversarial and sometimes very probing proceedings. Both must produce valid and reliable results from state-of-the-art procedures that are detailed, documented, and peer-reviewed and from protocols acceptable to the relevant scientific community (ASCLD/LAB 1994)."

Computer Forensic Results

Recovering and Examining Computer Forensic Evidence: "Forensic Results

Forensic science has historically produced results that have been judged to be both valid and reliable. For example, DNA analysis attempts to develop specific identifying information relative to an individual. To support their conclusions, forensic DNA scientists have gathered extensive statistical data on the DNA profiles from which they base their conclusions. Computer forensic science, by comparison, extracts or produces information. The purpose of the computer examination is to find information related to the case. To support the results of a computer forensic examination, procedures are needed to ensure that only the information exists on the computer storage media, unaltered by the examination process. Unlike forensic DNA analysis or other forensic disciplines, computer forensic science makes no interpretive statement as to the accuracy, reliability, or discriminating power of the actual data or information."

Recovering and Examining Computer Forensic Evidence by Noblett et al. (Forensic Science Communications, October 2000)

Recovering and Examining Computer Forensic Evidence: "Computer Forensic Science

Computer forensic science was created to address the specific and articulated needs of law enforcement to make the most of this new form of electronic evidence. Computer forensic science is the science of acquiring, preserving, retrieving, and presenting data that has been processed electronically and stored on computer media. As a forensic discipline, nothing since DNA technology has had such a large potential effect on specific types of investigations and prosecutions as computer forensic science."

Image Scan Training (IMSCA)

Image Scan Computer Analysis: "Image Scan Training (IMSCA)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) developed the Image Scan system to help investigators locate the presence of picture files that may contain contraband on a computer. This system allows the investigator to view a variety of graphic formats during a consensual search, and protects valuable digital evidence by booting up a computer using the Linux operating system.

After mounting the hard drive in a "read only" manner, Image Scan prompts the investigator to search for picture files only. During this process, the tool logs every step taken by the investigator, further documenting what occurred during the search process."

Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory

"What is an RCFL?

An RCFL is a one-stop, full service forensics laboratory and training center devoted entirely to the examination of digital evidence in support of criminal investigations, such as, but not limited to:

Terrorism
Child pornography
Crimes of violence
The theft or destruction to intellectual property
Internet crimes
Fraud. "

Free Photo Recovery to Katrina Victims

"As Gulf Coast residents begin the cleanup process after the recent hurricanes, there are many possessions that people will go to great lengths to salvage. Among those possessions with the most sentimental value are family photos, stored either in traditional albums, or for digital photos, on computer hard drives, CDs and DVDs. While CDs and DVDs could be easily transported before the storms arrived, many people did not have the option of saving photos that were stored only on hard drives. In order to help them with the rebuilding process, Ontrack Data Recovery, the industry�s leading data recovery company, is teaming up with the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) to provide home users affected by the hurricanes with free recovery of digital photos in the .JPG format through the end of November. "

Free Photo Recovery Information Courtesy of CentralLaw.com

Computer Forensic Tool Testing

National Institute of Justice - Computer Forensic Tool Testing: "The objective of the Computer Forensics Tool Testing project is to provide a measure of assurance that the tools used in computer forensics investigations produce accurate results. This is accomplished by developing specifications and test methods for computer forensics tools and then testing specific tools to those specifications. The test results provide the information necessary for toolmakers to improve tools, for users to make informed choices about acquiring and using computer forensics tools, and for the legal community and others to understand the tools' capabilities. Our approach for testing computer forensic tools is based on well recognized methodologies for conformance testing and quality testing. "

Computer Forensics Tool Verification Project Overivew

Project Overivew: "The Computer Forensics Tools Verification project provides a measure of assurance that the tools used in the investigations of computer-related crimes produce valid results. It also supports other projects in the National Institute of Justice�s overall computer forensics research program, such as the National Software Reference Library (NSRL)."

Computer Forensic File Recovery Tools

"There is a critical need in the law enforcement community to ensure the reliability of computer forensic tools. A capability is required to ensure that forensic software tools consistently produce accurate and objective results. The goal of the Computer Forensic Tool Testing (CFTT) project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is to establish a methodology for testing computer forensic software tools by development of general tool specifications, test procedures, test criteria, test sets, and test hardware. The results provide the information necessary for toolmakers to improve tools, for users to make informed choices about acquiring and using computer forensics tools, and for interested parties to understand the tools capabilities." See File Recovery Project

FBI conducts clandestine surveillance of citizens

FBI conducts clandestine surveillance of citizens -DAWN - Top Stories; October 25, 2005

"WASHINGTON, Oct 24: Previously classified documents released on Monday show that the FBI has conducted clandestine surveillance on US citizens and legal residents for as long as 18 months at a time without proper paperwork or oversight.

Some of the violations found in the documents included � Improper searches and seizures of bank records. � Violation of bank privacy statutes. � Improper collection of e-mails after warrants had expired.

FBI officials, however, say that most of the violations were simply administrative errors."

Computer Forensics, Cybercrime and Steganography

"Computer forensics, still a rather new discipline in computer security, focuses on finding digital evidence after a computer security incident has occured.

The goal of computer forensics is to do a structured investigation and find out exactly what happened on a digital system, and who was responsible for it.

There are essentially three phases for recovering evidence from a computer system or storage medium. Those phases are: (1) acquire, (2) analyze, and (3) report. Often, the results of a forensic investigation are used in criminal proceedings." See http://www.forensics.nl/

Lawyers in Blogland (Computer Attorney Tampa Florida)

From the Florida Bar News: "Law blogs are exploding and Florida lawyers are in on the action

By Jan Pudlow
Senior Editor

Armed with a Dummies book on html, a software program called “Blogger,” and plenty of curiosity, St. Petersburg lawyer Matt Conigliaro set out to write the code for a legal blog he could call his own.

For two months in the spring of 2003, on weekends and in the middle of the night, he hunched over his computer fine-tuning Abstract Appeal, billing it as “the first Web log devoted to Florida law and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.” Then he set it free into the blogosphere.

Little did he realize that because of his blog, he would be quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and CourtTV.com during the raging controversy of the Terri Schiavo end-of-life case. "

Your Laser Printer is a Spy

Techtree News Staff
Oct 19, 2005

"The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a consumer privacy and digital rights organization, has analyzed codes embedded in printouts in color laser printers. The code cracked by the EFF was an invisible bar code that contained the serial number of the printer for tracking users as well as the date and time a page was printed.

In Xerox printers the code appears in a pattern of yellow dots visible only with a magnifying glass and a blue light. The codes are supposed to be for government agencies looking out for counterfeit currency printers. "

Computer Crime Policies of the DOJ Cybercrime Attorneys

Computer Crime: "Here is all you ever wanted to know about the DOJ Department of Justice, Computer Crime, and Intellectual Property"

United States Attorneys' Manual

United States Attorneys' Manual: "Learn about how the DOJ prosecutes cases by reviewing the Prosecutor's Handbook - The United States Attorneys' Manual"

News from DEA - Internet Pharmacies

News from DEA: "DEA Disables Major Pharmaceutical Internet Scheme New “Virtual Enforcement Initiative” Announced

SEP 21--(Washington, D.C.)- In Dallas, Texas, today Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Karen P. Tandy announced the culmination of Operation CYBERx, a multi-faceted Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation targeting major alleged pharmaceutical drug traffickers operating solely in the United States.

Recognizing that criminals are facilitating more drug-related crimes through the use of 21st century technology, the DEA, along with their law enforcement counterparts today arrested 18 people for allegedly selling pharmaceutical drugs illegally over the Internet. Those arrested include the ringleaders of more than 4,600 rogue Internet pharmacy websites."

Katrina Fraud

DOJ Katrina Priorities

"WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales travels to Mississippi and Louisiana today with Vice President Dick Cheney to tour areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina and outline priorities for the newly established Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, designed to deter, investigate and prosecute disaster-related federal crimes such as charity fraud and insurance fraud.

In a planned visit to Gulfport, Miss., the Attorney General will meet with Department of Justice personnel who are working out of the Jackson office. In Louisiana, the Attorney General plans to visit a law enforcement detention center in New Orleans and meet with Justice Department staff, including personnel from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans), who are presently working out of offices in Baton Rouge."

Middle District of Florida Case Involving Theft of $660,000

Middle District of Florida: "Pinellas Executive Sentenced in Case Involving Theft of $660,000 from Employee Pension Plan"

"A resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, was sentenced today in the United States District Court, to a 24 month term of imprisonment as a result of his conviction that he knowingly and willfully conspired to launder money stolen from an employee pension plan. He was also ordered to pay $660,000 dollars in restitution. [T]he former Director of Human Resources for the Comdial Corporation, located in Sarasota, Florida, was sentenced to 27 months in prison in October 2004 for stealing $660,000 from Comdial's employee pension plan between February 20, 2002 and January 29, 2003."

Middle District of Florida

Hacker Sentenced to Prison - Computer Forensics E Discovery

Prison for Breaking into Lowe's Companies' Computers with Intent to Steal Credit Card Information

"Hacker Sentenced to Prison for Breaking into Lowe's Companies' Computers with Intent to Steal Credit Card Information

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert and Kevin Kendrick, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, announced that [a] defendant was sentenced on Wednesday, December 15, 2004, by United States District Judge Lacy Thornburgh for his role in a conspiracy to hack the nationwide computer system of the Lowe's Corporation. Defendant had previously pled guilty to participating in the conspiracy pursuant to a plea agreement with the Government."

Computer Hacker Guilty of Intrusions - Computer Forensics E Discovery

Defacing Websites

"The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that [a man from] Pleasant Hill, California, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Oakland to hacking into government computers and then defacing government websites with material illegally obtained from those intrusions.

He pleaded guilty to each count of a five-count indictment charging computer crimes in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1030. In pleading guilty, [the man] who is known as one of the members of the self-titled hacking group called 'The Deceptive Duo,' admitted that he unlawfully accessed computer systems of various federal agencies in April 2002, including the Department of Defense's Defense Logistic Information Service (DLIS), the Office of Health Affairs (OHA), and NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC). In particular, [the man] admitted that he: Gained unauthorized accessed to DLIS computers in Battle Creek, Michigan, for the purpose of obtaining files that he later used to deface an OHA website hosted on computers in San Antonio, Texas. "

Computer Science Graduate Student Sentenced - Computer Forensics E Discovery

Hacking Major Corporationsa>

"Defaced Web Pages and Installed 'Sniffer' Programs to Steal Passwords

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that [someone from] Santa Monica, California was sentenced today in federal court in San Jose. United States District Court Judge James Ware sentenced [him] to 8 months in prison and 8 months of electronic monitoring and home confinement, for gaining unauthorized access into and damaging computer systems of several high-technology companies, including eBay in San Jose and Qualcomm in San Diego, as a graduate student in computer science at the University of Wisconsin in 1999. "

Fan/Spammer Sent to Prison for Four Years - Computer Forensics E Discovery Tampa

Prison for Spammer

"United States Attorney Patrick L. Meehan today announced that the Hon. Berle A. Schiller imposed a sentence of four years imprisonment. The defendant had been convicted of 79 counts of computer fraud and identity fraud. He was a dissatisfied Philadelphia Phillies fan and to convey his dissatisfaction to the world, hacked into computers belonging to many individuals and from them launched hundreds of thousands of spam e-mails complaining about the Phillies. When he launched these e-mails, he faked, or spoofed, the From line of the e-mail, using the e-mail addresses of writers at the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He also used e-mail addresses belonging to the Philadelphia Phillies and writers at The Sporting News, Fox Sports, ESPN, and officials at Knight Ridder, the parent company of the Inquirer and Daily News. This made it appear as if the e-mails had come from these writers. "

Cybercrime Conviction - Posted by Cybercrime Attorney Tampa

Defendant Found Guilty of Placing Computer Time Bomb

SAN JOSE The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that a man from San Jose, California, the former Program Manager of a Silicon Valley-based debt collection company, was convicted late yesterday afternoon by a federal jury in San Jose of intentionally causing damage to a computer, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(5)(A)(I) & 1030(a)(5)(B)(I) and 1030(c)(4)(A). The jury deliberated for approximately two hours.

According to the indictment and evidence introduced at trial, He placed malicious computer code on the network of a company in San Jose that caused the deletion and modification of financial records and disruption of the proper functioning of the computer network. More than 50,000 debtor accounts were ultimately affected by the operation of the code before it was stopped. Testimony at trial indicated that the loss to the company as a result of the defendant's time bomb exceeded $100,000, though the exact amount has not yet been determined.

Teen Convicted

Teen Convicted for Hacking

Massachusetts Teen Convicted for Hacking into Internet and Telephone Service Providers and Making Bomb Threats to High Schools in Massachusetts and Florida

Boston, MA... A Massachusetts juvenile pled guilty in federal court and was sentenced today in connection with a series of hacking incidents into Internet and telephone service providers; the theft of an individual's personal information and the posting of it on the Internet; and making bomb threats to high schools in Florida and Massachusetts; all of which took place over a fifteen month period. Victims of the Juvenile's conduct have suffered a total of approximately $1 million in damages.

Justice Department Announces Conviction of Florida Man Accused of Massive Data Theft from Acxiom, Inc. Computer Attorney Tampa

Justice Department Announces Conviction of Florida Man Accused of Massive Data Theft from Acxiom, Inc. (August 12, 2005)

WASHINGTON, D.C. A jury in Little Rock, Arkansas, found a man guilty of 120 counts of unauthorized access of a protected computer, two counts of access device fraud, and one count of obstruction of justice, after a trial that began on July 11, 2005. The jury commenced deliberations on August 10, 2005, and took approximately three days to reach its verdict. The announcement was made today by John C. Richter, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Criminal Division; Bud Cummins, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas; Brian Marr, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock office of the United States Secret Service (USSS); and William C. Temple, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Posted by Computer Cybercrime Attorney Tampa.

Queens Man Sentenced to 27 Months' Imprisonment on Federal Charges of Computer Damage, Access Device Fraud and Software Piracy

Queens Man Sentenced to 27 Months' Imprisonment on Federal Charges of Computer Damage, Access Device Fraud and Software Piracy

DAVID N. KELLEY, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that the defendant, of Flushing, New York, was sentenced today to 27 months� imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release, and $201,620 in restitution by United States District Judge RICHARD C. CASEY in Manhattan federal Court following his July 11, 2003 plea to a fivecount Information relating to computer fraud and software piracy.

In his guilty plea to the computer damage charges, he admitted that, between February 14, 2001, and December 20, 2002, without the permission of Kinko's Inc. ('Kinko's'), he installed special keylogging software on computer terminals located at Kinko's stores throughout Manhattan to surreptitiously record keystroking activity on those computers, and to collect computer usernames and passwords of Kinko's customers. During his plea allocution, he admitted that his installation of the keylogging software could damage the Kinko's computers on which they were installed. He admitted that he then used the confidential information he obtained to access, or attempt to access, bank accounts belonging to other persons, and fraudulently to open online bank accounts. He also pled guilty to similar fraudulent conduct that he continued to commit while on bail after his arrest on December 20, 2002.

Computer Hacker Who Victimized T-Mobile Pleads Guilty in Los Angeles Federal Court (February 15, 2005)

Computer Hacker Who Victimized T-Mobile Pleads Guilty in Los Angeles Federal Court (February 15, 2005)

A Computer Hacker pleaded guilty this morning in United States District Court in Los Angeles to gaining unauthorized access to a protected computer and recklessly causing at least $5,000 in loss to one or more victims, including T-Mobile, Inc., a telecommunications company. A sophisticated computer 'hacker,' was originally charged in a federal criminal complaint filed on October 26, 2004 for gaining unauthorized access to a TMobile computer. He was arrested by Special Agents of the United States Secret Service on October 26, 2004 and was released on bond by a United States Magistrate Judge. On November 23, 2004, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Him with two counts of computer hacking.

Juvenile Sentenced for Releasing Worm That Attacked Microsoft Web Site

Juvenile Sentenced for Releasing Worm That Attacked Microsoft Web Site

A second person, a juvenile, has been sentenced in connection with the release of a computer worm in August 2003 that attacked the same vulnerability in computer software as the Blaster worm did. The worm -- often referred to as the RPCSDBOT worm -- directed infected computers to log in on a computer (i.e., an Internet Relay Chat channel) that the juvenile controlled. On August 14, 2003, the juvenile directed the infected computers to launch a distributed denial of service attack against Microsoft's main web site causing the site to shutdown and thus became inaccessible to the public for approximately four hours. The juvenile was 14 years old when the activity occurred."

18 Months in Prison for Creating and Unleashing a Variant of the MS Blaster Computer Worm

Minnesota Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Creating and Unleashing a Variant of the MS Blaster Computer Worm (January 28, 2005):

A 19 year old was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release and 100 hours of community service for intentionally causing and attempting to cause damage to a protected computer. U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman will determine the amount of restitution he owes at a court hearing February 10, 2005. He was indicted in September 2003 for sending out a variant of the MS Blaster computer worm on August 12, 2003. His worm is referred to by a number of different names including the 'B' or 'teekids' variant of the MS Blaster worm. In sentencing him Judge Pechman stated 'What you've done is a terrible thing. Aside from injuring people and their computers you shook the foundation of technology.'

law.com - Wiretap the Internet? Not So Fast, Say Some

law.com - Wiretap the Internet? Not So Fast, Say Some

"Wiretap the Internet? Not So Fast, Say Some

Marcia Coyle
The National Law Journal
08-18-2005


The federal courts may soon face the first round in a battle over the U.S. Department of Justice's demand that federal wiretapping requirements be extended to certain Internet services for the first time.

The Center for Democracy & Technology, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others said last week that they are considering legal challenges to an Aug. 5 decision by the Federal Communications Commission to require providers of certain broadband and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol services to accommodate law enforcement wiretaps in their designs and applications. "

MSNBC - A recovery mission of a different kind

Experts go to work on Katrina-damaged computers, looking to save data

By Bob Sullivan
Technology correspondent MSNBC
Updated: 8:48 p.m. ET Sept. 19, 2005

Sawyer Real Estate in Gulfport, Miss. was founded by Lenny Sawyer’s great grandfather in 1901. But when Katrina hit, it seemed most of that legacy would be wiped out. The firm’s office, which had been 200 feet from the beach, was devastated. Wind ripped the structure to pieces, and a storm surge left 6 feet of standing water on everything inside. The firm’s 14 critical computers lay somewhere under a pile of rubble.

Complete Article is Here:

Hurricane Katrina, One Lawyer, and FEMA

My friend, Sean Scott organized and implemented the delivery of 340,000 bottles of water to the disaster zone.

He arrived on site so quickly that the water was off-loaded from the trucks and put directly on Black Hawks for transport.

How could one guy see a need, develop a timely plan, and implement it so quickly when the agencies charged with this task cannot?

Call me Toll Free 1-877-793-9290 for details.

Sean is available for comment.

His website for this project is: virtuallawoffice.com/getgoin.html



The St. Petersburg (Florida) Times covers it here: St Pete Times

Hurricane Katrina Help - Lawyer 'must' do more to help

A donation wasn't quite enough, so a St. Petersburg man rounds up 340,000 bottles of water and trucks it to the hurricane victims.

By TOM ZUCCO, Times Staff Writer
Published September 3, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sean Scott couldn't look at the images of devastation coming out of the Gulf Coast anymore, so like thousands of others in the Tampa Bay area, he decided to do something.

Only in his case, it was on a grand scale.

Between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning, the 40-year-old St. Petersburg lawyer rounded up 340,000 bottles of water to take to victims of Hurricane Katrina. He also found three semitrailer trucks and drivers willing to haul the load. In the meantime, he contacted relief and emergency operations officials to let them know he was coming and to get instructions on where to go.

"I just went out and started looking," he said before leaving Friday afternoon. "It's wonderful to give money, but I was compelled to do something more."

He wasn't alone. Throughout the Tampa Bay area, residents offered their homes to those displaced by the storm, and religious, business and professional organizations offered prayers, money and services.

To many, writing a check didn't seem like quite enough.

Donna Smith of St. Petersburg lost her job recently. But Friday morning, the 61-year-old single mother was busy trying to coordinate efforts to charter a bus to take 30 people out of New Orleans.

She was calling churches, charities and local government officials.

"So far I'm a committee of one," she said. "I can't throw money at it. But if we can get somebody to donate a bus, pick out 30 people and place them with host families for one month to six weeks, maybe we give these people a chance to take a deep breath and figure out where to go next."

She asked that her e-mail address (smilee4421@aol.com) be published, and said she was willing to take two people in her home. Her house isn't big, she said. "But I can handle it.

"I just need someone to help me coordinate it. I'm old and tired and certainly can't do it on my own."

Scott was having more luck. Through business contacts, a network of friends and his Web site (virtuallawoffice.com/getgoin.html), he found a truck owner who donated his rig. Then Roadmaster driving school in Tampa called to donate two more.

So far, Scott has collected more than $14,000 to buy the water. Most of the donations came from the Tampa Bay area, but some were from as far away as Great Britain and Malaysia.

The trucks were scheduled to leave Tampa on Friday afternoon, pick up the water in Lake City on Friday night, and then head west for the Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi-Louisiana border.

Scott will go with them, something that makes his wife uncomfortable. But relief officials assured him he'll have security going in and out.

"I don't have to do this," he said. "I absolutely must."

When they've dropped off the water, Scott said, they'll come back and try to do it again.

Jane Augram, a 68-year-old cancer survivor, also felt the need to do more. She lives with two cats and two dogs in a two-bedroom house north of Tampa. But she's willing to share it with up to three storm victims.

"I didn't notice anybody knocking themselves out to help up there in Louisiana," she said. "So I offered."

A retired University of South Florida computer operations supervisor, Augram said her house withstood hurricanes Donna and Elaina. But they were small compared to Katrina, she said, and she was thankful she was spared.

"The next time," she said, "it may be me."

© Copyright 2003 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved

Hurricane Katrina and Recovery of Wet Data Storage Devices

Recovery of Wet Data Storage Devices and Hard Disk Drives

1. Never assume that data is unrecoverable, no matter what it has been through;

2. Do not attempt to power up visibly damaged devices;

3. Do not shake, disassemble or attempt to clean any hard drive or server that has been damaged - improper handling can make recovery operations more difficult which can lead to valuable information being permanently lost;

4. Do not use common software utility programs on broken or water-damaged devices;

5. For mission critical situations, contact and expert before any attempts are made to reconfigure, reinstall or reformat;

6. When shipping your hard drives, tapes or other removable media to Ontrack, package them in a box (we suggest a box twice the size of your media) that has enough room for both the media and some type of packing material that allows for NO movement. If the media can slide around at all, it is not ready to ship. The box should also have sufficient barrier room around the inside edges to absorb any impacts the box will take;

7. Wet media should be placed in a container that will protect shipping material from getting wet. Wet boxes can break apart during transit causing further damage to the drive;

8. If you have multiple drives, tapes or other removable media that need recovery, ship them in separate boxes or make sure they are separated enough with packing material so there will be no contact.

Man convicted in massive database theft

Man convicted in massive database theft - MSNBC.com:

"1.6 billion records stolen in Acxiom case, prosecutors say

Mike Wintroath / AP

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A Florida man was convicted Friday of stealing information from data-management company Acxiom Corp. in what prosecutors said was the largest federal computer theft trial ever.

The jury convicted the owner of defunct e-mail marketing contractor on 120 counts of unauthorized access to data, two counts of access device fraud and one count of obstruction of justice."

Moore's Law 40th Anniversary

EMSNow - News Publishing:

'The first microprocessor only had 22 hundred transistors. We are looking at something a million times that complex in the next generations - a billion transistors. What that gives us in the way of flexibility to design products is phenomenal.'

Gordon E. Moore

In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore saw the future. His prediction, popularly known as Moore's Law, states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles about every two years. This observation about silicon integration, made a reality by Intel, has fueled the worldwide technology revolution. "

Jail for 'Robin Hoods' who cost Microsoft millions

Jail for 'Robin Hoods' who cost Microsoft millions CNET News.com

By Reuters

"LONDON -- Four Britons were jailed on Friday for being part of a global gang described as 'Robin Hoods' who stole expensive software from rich companies and gave it away for free over the Internet.

The group, described by prosecutors as 'sad individuals' who spent their lives in front of computers, were said to have cost firms such as Microsoft millions of dollars in profit and enraged its chairman, Bill Gates.

Prosecutors told London's Old Bailey criminal court that the four men, motivated by a hatred of software companies, were the key players in an international ring, said to be one of the world's most sophisticated Web piracy groups."

Internet privacy is limited in this state, experts say

Internet privacy is limited in this state, experts say: "Internet privacy is limited in this state, experts say
Confidentiality rights unlikely in e-mail, chat rooms
Saturday, May 7, 2005
By DAN RICHMAN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Washington residents communicating over the Internet shouldn't expect much privacy."

Who gets to see the e-mail of the deceased?

Who gets to see the e-mail of the deceased?

"By Susan Llewelyn Leach Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

It's an old story with a new twist. A young marine is killed in the line of duty and his parents request all his belongings, including his correspondence - in this case, his e-mail. The Internet company refuses to give out the marine's password, saying that would violate its privacy rules. The parents go to court, causing a storm of discussion on the Net and in the media."

Blog Censorship Gains Support - CNET News.com

Blog censorship gains support CNET News.com

By Renai LeMay

"Most Americans believe bloggers should not be allowed to publish sensitive personal information about individuals, according to a new survey.

Web hosting company Hostway this week released the results of its poll of 2,500 Americans on blogging. Eighty percent of respondents did not believe that bloggers should be allowed to publish home addresses and other personal information about private citizens.

A further 72 percent favored censorship of personal information about celebrities, and 68 percent, information about elected or appointed government officials such as judges or mayors. "

Three state education employees fired for lewd e-mail

Three state education employees fired for lewd e-mail

"Three state education employees fired for lewd e-mail

Associated Press report 04/26/05

TALLAHASSEE - Three state Education Department employees have been fired and a fourth has been told she will be fired for sending lewd e-mails to colleagues. "

"'This is basically a case of people sending very offensive e-mails to one another on government computers,' state Education Commissioner John Winn said Monday. 'This has been the most troubling thing to me since I've been commissioner.' "

Editorial Note: Is it possible that the abysmal performance of our Florida School System should trouble him more than naughty words?

Police Data Sharing Is A Work In Progress

By Larry Greenemeier, InformationWeek
April 25, 2005

URL: Info Week

"The federal government's disclosure this month that it won't continue funding the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange, or Matrix, closes a chapter on a controversial law-enforcement data-sharing pilot project created in the wake of 9/11. Three years and $12 million later, just two states will continue using the technology, as other projects compete to meet the goal of better sharing of crime data across state lines."

U.S. Postal-order Scams Surging

U.S. postal-order scams surging

"U.S. postal-order scams surging
By Tom Zeller Jr. The New York Times

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2005

Phony checks have been the stock in trade of online fraud artists for years. Now, the authorities say they are noticing a surge in schemes involving sophisticated counterfeiting of a different form of payment: U.S. postal money orders. And the fleecing of victims often begins in an e-mail inbox."

University Fires Employees for Porn

The Cavalier Daily

"Computer porn leads to U.Va. employee firings - University releases warning against viewing pornography on University computers; employee arrested for possession of child pornography

Alex Sellinger, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

The University publicly issued a warning and dismissed two employees this semester after fellow employees reported they had used University computers to view and download pornography. A Dining Services employee was arrested in February and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, the University reported in its warning issued April 11. "

Watchdogs target Web's dark side - MSNBC

MSNBC - Watchdogs target Web's dark side

"Watchdogs target Web's dark side - Online vigilantes seek out, shut down pro-terrorism sites

By Ariana Eunjung Cha
The Washington Post
Updated: 12:07 a.m. ET April 25, 2005

CARBONDALE, Ill. - A. Aaron Weisburd slogged up to his attic at 5 a.m. to begin another day combing through tips he had received about possible pro-terrorist activity on the Internet.

It did not take long for one e-mail to catch his attention: Ekhlaas.com was offering instructions on how to steal people's personal information off their computers. It was a new development for an Islamic discussion site accustomed to announcing 'martyrdom operations,' or suicide bombings, against U.S. troops and others in Iraq."

Police Tackling Cybercrime Need More Training - FT.com / World / US -

FT.com / World / US"Police tackling cybercrime need more training'

By Tony Cheng in Bangkok
Published: April 22 2005 22:33

International law enforcement officers lack the technical knowledge and the legal tools to crack down on cybercriminals now stealing up to $1,400bn a year, much of it through frauds targeting consumers, a Microsoft executive said on Friday.

Scott Charney, a former US Justice Department cybercrime prosecutor and now at Microsoft, urged police departments to increase the numbers and skills of officers fighting cybercrime. He said stepping up international co-operation was also essential. If you are investigating a case in the US and you see the attack is coming from the UK, we have 200 years of relationship, and you can get assistance, he said. But what if that attack is coming from Chad? Has anyone ever spoken to Chad about cybercrime?"

Criminalization and Combatting Cybercrime - i-Newswire.com

"Crime had grown so fast in the bottomless world of cyberspace that legal and law enforcement bodies should step up to the plate, the keynote speaker of a workshop on measures to combat computer-related crime told the Second Committee of the Eleventh United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice this afternoon."

Ten Laws of the Modern World - Forbes.com

"Digital Rules - Ten Laws of the Modern World
Rich Karlgaard, 05.09.05, 12:00 AM ET

Moore's Law. Listen to a billionaire explain why an understanding of Moore's Law is a key to unlocking business riches. Don Valentine founded Sequoia Capital in 1972 and presided over early investments in Apple, Electronic Arts, Cisco, Yahoo and Google. He once told me the secret to his success: 'That's easy. I just follow Moore's Law and make a few guesses about its consequences.' "

Va. Lawmakers Aim to Hook Cyberscammers

washingtonpost.com: Va. Lawmakers Aim to Hook Cyberscammers: "Va. Lawmakers Aim to Hook Cyberscammers - Starting July 1, Those Who 'Phish' for Personal Data Online Can Be Prosecuted

By Karin Brulliard
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 10, 2005; Page C08

The Virginia General Assembly this year passed a handful of new bills aimed at cracking down on computer and online crimes, including a statute that observers say is the nation's first law that criminalizes 'phishing' schemes. Phishing occurs when someone sends out bulk e-mail messages designed to trick consumers into revealing bank account passwords, Social Security numbers and other personal information. Starting July 1, cyberscammers who deceive people out of that kind of information could face a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison and $2,500 in fines. Those convicted of selling the data or using it to commit another crime, such as identity theft, would face twice the prison time. "

Data Security Breaches No Longer 'Dirty Secret' Says White & Case Lawyer

Data Security Breaches No Longer 'Dirty Secret' Says White & Case Lawyer: "Data Security Breaches No Longer 'Dirty Secret' Says White & Case Lawyer

NEW YORK, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's announcement of a massive theft of personal data from the LexisNexis computer systems, and other similar recent announcements, may suggest that computer security breaches are on the rise. But in reality, it is new data privacy laws in California that have begun forcing companies to disclose and respond to breaches that previously would have not been made public, says a noted privacy lawyer with White & Case."

Can an expert who's not certified still be an expert?

BizNewOrleans: Biz New Orleans: "SPECIAL REPORT: Law Legal Specialization

Can an expert who's not certified still be an expert?
by LINDSAY YOUNG

Need an attorney specialized in consumer law, computer law or even emergency law? Look in the yellow pages. From a consumer's perspective, dozens of legal specialties exist, and nearly every lawyer is a specialist in something.

But in reality, only 2.5 percent of the state's attorneys hold a Louisiana State Bar Association designation of 'specialist.' They are attorneys who have taken exams, submitted recommendations from others in the field and devoted a significant percentage of their practice to their respective areas of law.

The state bar recognizes only four specialties: taxation, family law, bankruptcy, and estate planning and administration. So what about the hundreds of others touting themselves in other areas? "

AOL Spammer Gets Nine Years

AOL Spammer Gets Nine Years

"An Internet Spam artist has been sentenced to nine years in prison by a judge in Virginia. The ruling is the first spam-related felony prosecution in the U.S. since the anti-spam law was enacted in 2003."

States scramble to protect consumer data - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

States scramble to protect consumer data - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: "Dozens of Privacy Bills Introduced after Rash of Breaches

By Jonathan Krim
The Washington Post

Legislatures in more than two dozen states are considering ways to give consumers more control over personal data that is collected and sold by private firms, but many of the proposals are drawing fire from financial services companies."

ABC News: Kids, Infants Fall Victim to Identity Theft

ABC News: Kids, Infants Fall Victim to Identity Theft

"Young Person May Be 'the Ideal Victim' Because Credit Check Might Not Uncover Crime for Years

SHORELINE, Wash., April 2, 2005

Andrew Brooke had his identity stolen when he was just 3 months old. Cooper Hayes has credit trouble. If he's not worried, that's because he's just 3 years old. Cooper's very first piece of mail ever was a letter from a county prosecutor telling him his identity had been stolen. "

ABC News: Judge Sentences Spammer to Nine Years

ABC News: Judge Sentences Spammer to Nine Years

"Judge Sentences Man to 9 Years in Prison for Using Fake Internet Addresses to Send Mass E-Mail Ads

By MATTHEW BARAKAT

The Associated Press

Apr. 8, 2005 - A man convicted in the nation's first felony case against illegal spamming was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday for bombarding Internet users with millions of junk e-mails.

Jeremy Jaynes, who was considered among the top 10 spammers in the world at the time of his arrest, used the Internet to peddle pornography and sham products and services such as a 'FedEx refund processor,' prosecutors said. Thousands of people fell for his e-mails, and prosecutors said Jaynes' operation grossed up to $750,000 per month."

Patriot Act 2.0

"The USA Patriot Act went to Congress in the nervous weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was artfully named legislation designed to expand the nation's ability to fight terrorism. The law granted the government extraordinary powers to use wiretaps and subpoenas, in some cases abandoning civil liberties that had passed the test of time and crisis in years past.

Now the Patriot Act is up for reauthorization, providing an opportunity to fine-tune the law and safeguard citizens from oppressive provisions that should pass into retirement with John Ashcroft."

Andrew C. McCarthy on Patriot Act on National Review Online

Andrew C. McCarthy on Patriot Act on National Review Online: "Spinning the Patriot Act Sneaking a peek at ''Judge'' Napolitano's latest debacle.


Andrew Napolitano has embarrassed himself enough times that one would think Fox News might have him do a little homework before passing off still more abject idiocy as biting legal analysis. But no, he continues to outdo himself."

MSNBC - Driving the new Aston Martin DB9

MSNBC - Driving the new Aston Martin DB9

Won at Sebring 2005.

2005 Shaw Sprint Car

MSNBC - U.S. court mulls overseas Web censorship

MSNBC - U.S. court mulls overseas Web censorship