Can FBI Cut Internet, Pose as Repairmen to Enter Your House?

Don't cops have better things to do?!

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Can FBI Cut Internet, Pose as Repairmen to Enter Your House?

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Should it be legal for law enforcement to cut your Internet, electricity, or water, then show up at your door posing as repairmen in order to gain access to your home? A recent FBI sting operation may serve as a test case that answers that question.

Agents suspected some high rollers staying at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas of illegal sports betting (the horror!). The feds didn't have enough evidence to obtain a warrant, so they got creative: They cut the suite's Internet, then showed up posing as repairmen.

Once they gained access to the suite, they sneakily collected enough evidence to persuade a judge to issue a warrant. They then returned to the suite and arrested eight men for allegedly running an illegal gambling operation.

Defense attorney Tom Goldstein argues the evidence was obtained illegally, claiming the federal agents failed to mention their "cable guy" shenanigans when they approached a federal magistrate judge seeking a warrant.

The federal case is working its way through the courts and the outcome may allow law enforcement to go further than ever before in using trickery to enter private homes.

"The theory behind this search is scary," says George Washington University law professor Stephen Saltzburg. "It means the government can cut off your service, intentionally, and then pretend to be a repair person, and then while they're there, they spend extra time searching your house. It is scary beyond belief."

In other news, the FBI's most wanted list indicates that plenty of suspected violent criminals, including a man wanted for the murder of his mother, wife, and three children, are still at large.

2 minutes, 14 seconds.

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"Don't Cops Have Better Things to Do?" is written and directed by Ted Balaker (@tedbalaker). Produced and edited by Matt Edwards (@MattChrisEd). Music by audionautix.com and "The Contessa" is by Maurice and the Beejays (Magnatune Records).

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Comments

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"Pose as Repairmen to Your Enter House"

All your houses are belong to us?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Yes. FYTW.

[anon]

There's no more reasoning. How dare you question your master, peasant.

[Paul.]

"Can FBI Cut Internet, Pose as Repairmen to Your Enter House? Don't Cops Have Better Things to Do?!" is the latest video from ReasonTV. Watch above or click on the link below for video, full text, supporting links, downloadable versions, and more ReasonTV clips.

I'm not sure this one gets my hackles up too much. If the FBI has done their homework, has all the warrants required, done all the proper due process, planting a bugs in the home of people running ongoing criminal enterprises is standard law enforcement fare.

If this type of stuff were unheard of, Tony Soprano wouldn't have needed to go into his basement while the washer was running to conduct business with Pauly.

[heartburn]

You caught the part where they faked their way in BEFORE they got the warrant, right?

[Paul.]

Yes, but this has been covered before on Reason and the tone seems to suggest that the issue isn't warrantless bugging alone, but should the FBI be allowed to "pose as someone else" to plant a bug.

There's absolutely no question that if they break into your home or pose as an impostor and plant a listening device without a warrant, that constitutes a warrantless search.

[Matrix]

So is it legal for me to pose as a cable repairman or any other kind of repairman to gain entry into someone's home? That sounds highly criminal for a private citizen to do.

[Fairbanks]

The bigger issue for me is that they cut off the internet service. I'd like to know the details of that (did they work with the ISP or hotel, cut some wires, other?). It's bad enough to lie your way in. It's worse to create the negative situation that greases the skids for the lie.

[Cdr Lytton]

A long time phone tech I knew claimed that back in the 70's in Arizona, one of the police agencies would use a van identical to other Bell System vans for undercover surveillance work. The only difference was it had the blue stripe on the bottom and the yellow stripe on the top, the opposite of the official stripe scheme. Pissed him off that it would get people to start messing with the real techs just trying to do their jobs.

[Paul.]

There was a Fed Ex van parked across the street from me for almost a couple of months. I was nervous.

[sarcasmic]

They break any laws they want because who's going to stop them? Law enforcement?

[Paul.]

I believe the latest talking point is, "Officers have been cleared of all wrongdoing, but an investigation is still pending."

[anon]

And we don't even get a money shot.

[The Late P Brooks]

If it destroys one life, we have to do it.

[sarcasmic]

Shocking moment a sheriff's deputy knocked out teen girl while trying to break up high school fight - and made the brawl even worse

Four male students and two female students were arrested in the fight
Footage captured a girl being punched by the sheriff's deputy as he tried to break up the students
Witnesses claim cop made it worse

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....stody.html

Manly man!

*swoon*

[Riven]

I love a man in uniform who doesn't know how/when to properly apply force.

[anon]

"Unfortunately, since this posting, the authentic video has gone missing and the department is unable to take any punitive action against the deputy."

[R C Dean]

If they don't have permission from whoever owns the line they cut, then no.

If they don't have permission from the homeowner to interrupt the service that the homeowner has paid for, then no.

If they have a warrant, and that warrant doesn't authorize them to commit the crimes of criminal trespass, breaking and entering, or whatever crime it is to gain entrance to a dwelling by fraud, then no.

If they intend to damage or interfere with anything in the house, and the warrant doesn't authorize them to do so, then no.

[anon]

But Dean,

It might save one child.

[The Late P Brooks]

If they don't have permission from whoever owns the line they cut, then no.

This is why the internet should be a public utility.

[sarcasmic]

The biggest pisser about this whole thing is that the worst thing that may happen is that the illegally obtained evidence may be suppressed.

Even though the cops destroyed private property, trespassed under false pretenses, and then lied by omission when they asked for the warrant.

[Young Wyrm]

Comcast just announced that they are adding a section to their app to show when the repair guy is supposed to get there. So if you are a terrorist you can show the FBI on your phone where the Comcast guy isn't scheduled to show up for another 3 weeks.

[missyforsaleepy]

my friend's mother makes $64 /hr on the internet . She has been out of work for ten months but last month her income was $18244 just working on the internet for a few hours. go to website....

?????? http://www.payinsider.com

[Mark22]

That would seem to meet the definition of "unreasonable search" wouldn't it?

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