Tag: surveillance

56 Arrested in Massachusetts Child Porn Sweep

Massachusetts authorities arrested 56 people across the state for alleged child pornography activities in a crime sweep dubbed “Operation Firewall,” state police announced on Monday.

The three-day investigation in 38 communities targeted the growing problem of possession, production, child enticement, and sharing of child sexual abuse material, the Massachusetts State Police reported.

In addition to the arrests, investigators say they searched 34 homes and seized 229 devices.

“Over several months, members of the State Police’s Division of Investigative Services used their training and skill to develop these cases,” said Col. Geoffrey Noble. “I commend the Troopers for their hard work to overcome the evasive tactics of suspects and build a comprehensive operational plan to safely remove predators from our streets.”

The defendants are expected to face charges connected to child pornography, child enticement, outstanding warrants for assault and battery of a child, rape of a child, and failure to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board, according to authorities.

The investigators worked for several weeks to develop Operation Firewall, according to Lt. Col. Daniel Tucker.

The operation relied on several partners, including detective units, district attorney’s offices, special tactical teams, and officials specializing in the apprehension of violent fugitives.

Troopers conducted arrests for a variety of sexual offenses with children, including contact, enticement, trafficking, and aggravated rape, the state reported.

“The Massachusetts State Police are working very hard every day to keep our communities safe, especially our children,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

According to the state police, many child pornography investigations stem from a growing number of online tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding suspicious activity.

Under federal law, electronic service providers are required to submit a cyber tip line report to the agency when they recognize dangerous behavior. Troopers assigned to the cybercrime unit review the tips to see if the content violates the state’s child pornography laws.

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Nancy Mace outraged by whistleblower report that she is targeted by TSA, airport officials

Rep. Nancy Mace is railing against the Transportation Security Administration after being told she has been almost constantly surveilled by the agency.

She said current and former airport employees told her about the TSA surveillance, and she called on more whistleblowers to come forward.

“This appears to be yet another example of the weaponization of government agencies against a conservative,” the South Carolina Republican said in a statement. “If these allegations are true, it represents a disturbing abuse of power and a clear case of political retaliation. No American — let alone a sitting Member of Congress — should be subjected to this kind of targeted harassment.”

She said she was subjected to surveillance every time she was at the Charleston airport, with TSA officials allegedly trying to block her from using the crew-only entrance. She claimed using the entrance is “standard operating procedure for all members of Congress.”

The Washington Times reached out to the TSA for comment.

Ms. Mace reportedly rebuked police and TSA agents at a security checkpoint last month at Charleston International Airport.

She took to social media, saying, “If this turns out to be the weaponization of government officials and law enforcement agents against a sitting member of Congress — HEADS NEED TO ROLL!!!”

Ms. Mace has been accused of outbursts, including swearing at a constituent and police officers. She said the stories were fabricated.

In the case of airport surveillance, Ms. Mace urged current or former TSA employees, airport security personnel, airport employees and others to come forward with information. She said she will refer information to federal and state oversight committees and inspectors general for investigation.

Ms. Mace is running for South Carolina governor in a crowded 2026 primary. Republicans who have announced bids include Attorney General Alan Wilson, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell of Spartanburg County, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.

“When I’m Governor, the era of good old boy politics will be over,” Ms. Mace said on social media. “The POWERFUL will become the POWERLESS, and power will return to the people where it belongs. Corruption will not be tolerated, and those who abuse their positions will be FIRED or worse yet — PROSECUTED!”

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Bill to end government shutdown would let senators snooped on by Jack Smith seek up to $500K

A provision tucked into the government funding bill that passed the Senate on Monday would compensate GOP senators whose phone records were seized without their knowledge during former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Up to nine Senate Republicans would be able to sue the government and be eligible for up to $500,000 in damages, plus attorneys’ fees, for each instance in which their call logs were coughed up to the feds. A payout for one incident apiece could cost taxpayers about $4.5 million.

Phone carriers would also be required to immediately notify senators and their offices if their devices, accounts, records or communications are sought — unless the lawmakers are the target of a criminal investigation.

In such cases, judges can issue a 60-day nondisclosure order if they find an imminent threat to “the life or physical safety of any person” or that the targeted senator poses a flight risk, that evidence would be destroyed, that witnesses would be intimidated or that the investigation would be jeopardized.

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Here are Three Criminal Charges Pam Bondi Could Immediately Arrest Crooked Judge James Boasberg for – That He Committed in the Arctic Frost Scandal

Mike Benz has laid out a roadmap for Attorney General Pam Bondi to hold corrupt Obama-appointed Judge James Boasberg accountable.

This comes amid the exploding Arctic Frost Scandal, where the Biden DOJ’s rogue Special Counsel Jack Smith orchestrated a massive spying operation on at least ten GOP senators and other conservatives.

Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz both confirmed this week that their official and campaign phone records were secretly subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith, with Judge Boasberg personally signing a gag order to conceal the unconstitutional seizure from them for over a year.

Senator Graham revealed on X that Verizon, his phone carrier, “was extremely irresponsible by complying” with the subpoena, calling it a “violation of the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution.”

He slammed both Smith and Boasberg for engaging in what he described as “legal slander” and “constitutional abuse.”

“It is now clear that my official and campaign phone records were subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Worse, a judicial gag order was issued prohibiting me from being informed of the subpoena for at least a year because Judge Boasberg believed that if I were informed, it would lead to witness tampering and destruction of evidence. That is legal slander. I would like to know the factual predicate for issuing the gag order.

My carrier, Verizon, was extremely irresponsible by complying with this subpoena. Instead, they should have followed AT&T’s example and declined to turn over the records because it is a violation of the speech and debate clause of the U.S. Constitution.

I also expect the House of Representatives to investigate Judge Boasberg’s potential misconduct, which could be grounds for his impeachment.

The misconduct here is worthy of a Watergate-style investigation. It is my firm belief that there should be a Senate Select Committee formed to get to the bottom of this constitutional abuse and potential ethical and legal misconduct by Jack Smith as well as any potential judicial misconduct by Judge Boasberg.

This model served the nation well during Watergate, and it is appropriate for the gravity of the offenses. This fishing expedition against at least ten Republican U.S. Senators by Special Counsel Jack Smith is the biggest violation of separation of powers in our nation’s history.

The driver of this outrageous conduct was a desire to stop President Trump’s 2024 campaign for president. Three days after Donald Trump announced he would seek the presidency on November 15, 2022, Jack Smith was appointed special counsel.

Within months, 91 felony indictments were issued primarily in the deepest blue jurisdictions of the country against President Trump. What was a trickle before his announcement became an avalanche all because he dared seek the presidency again. I am convinced that if Donald Trump had chosen not to run, none of this would have happened.”

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Ted Cruz EXPLODES on Rogue Activist Judge Boasberg — Demands Immediate IMPEACHMENT After Secret Subpoena of Senators’ Private Phone Records and Barring AT&T from Notifying Them

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, erupted Wednesday in a fiery press conference, calling for the immediate impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee, after revelations that the activist judge signed an order secretly authorizing the seizure of his private phone records and other GOP records while blocking AT&T from notifying them.

Cruz revealed during the press conference that the Biden DOJ, under the direction of former special counsel Jack Smith, had targeted him and eight other Republican senators in a blatant fishing expedition.

The subpoenas, issued as part of the sham “Arctic Frost” investigation tied to President Trump’s rightful challenge of the 2020 election fraud, sought cellphone data that Cruz insists is protected under the Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution.

Ted Cruz:
“The Biden Justice Department signed off on issuing subpoenas for the phone records of at least nine U.S. senators. Twenty percent of the Republicans in the United States Senate were the target of this fishing expedition. They did so in complete contravention of the Constitution—of separation of powers, of the Speech and Debate Clause, of free speech, of basic rights of privacy.

This is an executive who believes it is justified in spying on their opponents in the legislature because they’ve convinced themselves the ends justify the means.

I want to talk to you about one of those subpoenas. One of those subpoenas went from Jack Smith to AT&T, seeking my cell phone communications. It went to AT&T, and I actually want to commend AT&T for doing the right thing. AT&T is based in Texas. AT&T looked at that subpoena, and they went to their legal counsel and said, “What should we do with this subpoena?” And their legal counsel said, “You cannot comply because this is protected by the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution.”

And so AT&T declined to comply—did not hand over my cell phone records. Now, one might ask: ordinarily, a phone company being asked to hand over the phone records of a sitting senator would notify that senator.”

Judge Boasberg, notorious for his leftist activism and nationwide injunctions against President Trump’s America First agenda, slapped a gag order on AT&T, barring the company from alerting Cruz and others to the subpoena for at least a year.

In his order, Boasberg ludicrously claimed there were “reasonable grounds” to believe disclosure would lead to “destruction of or tampering with evidence, intimidation of potential witnesses, and serious jeopardy to the investigation.

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Biden AG Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray Personally Approved Opening of “Arctic Frost” Investigation Into Trump

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley on Thursday released documents revealing that Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director Chris Wray and corrupt DOJ official Lisa Monaco personally approved opening the “Arctic Frost” investigation into President Trump.

Arctic Frost led to Jack Smith’s Trump 2020 alternate electors case.

Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson earlier this year released new records detailing the FBI and DOJ’s sweeping investigation that formed the basis of Jack Smith’s DC case against President Trump.

Grassley and Johnson previously blew the lid off another sham investigation orchestrated by Biden’s corrupt Department of Justice and compromised FBI.

According to the documents released earlier this year, the FBI and DOJ weaponized their power to target President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and their allies through a probe dubbed “Arctic Frost.”

“Operation Arctic Frost” was a taxpayer-funded witch hunt launched in April 2022 that seized government-issued cell phones belonging to Trump and Pence while conducting a barrage of interviews across the country.

It was recently reported that Joe Biden’s FBI – and later Jack Smith – spied on eight Republican Senators during the ‘Arctic Frost’ investigation into January 6.

Jack Smith tracked private phone calls of eight GOP Senators.

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Patel aims to protect civil liberties, reform the FBI to prevent serial weaponized spying

Director Kash Patel says his team is working on implementing new civil liberties protections at the FBI and touted his effort to refocus the bureau after confirmation that the investigative agency collected expansive phone data on Republican senators, House members, staff, and White House officials. 

He said his team has, or is currently working on, implementing new civil liberties protections at the FBI and touted his effort to refocus the bureau on its core mission. 

“We’ve ended that regime,” Patel told Just the News in a wide-ranging interview with the Just the News, No Noise TV show which aired on Wednesday. 

30 million lines of telephone data

Earlier this month, Just the News reported that the FBI collected call data on Republican senators and one House member as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot. 

Just the News also reported on Tuesday that congressional investigators had collected 30 million lines of phone data mapping contacts between conservatives and the Trump White House in the name of investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. The data was later offered to the bureau on the eve of the 2024 election. 

Patel: “It is law enforcement first”

“We’ve already implemented changes. We’ve already informed Congress we won’t be grabbing their cell phone records or their staff or cell phone records for just a sense of weaponization,” Patel said. 

He told Just the News a big part of preventing these abuses in the future is refocusing the agency on its core mission, to enforce the law and investigate crimes. 

“So the good news about this FBI, it is mission focused,” Patel said. “It is law enforcement first, and it doesn’t matter if you’re red or blue or in between, or where you live, we are going to come in and root out not just criminality, but corruption in every single town in this country.”

Internal documents unearthed by Patel’s FBI and turned over to Congress showed that Special Counsel Smith obtained the phone records from eight senators and one House member in President Trump’s orbit. 

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Patriot Act supporting senators are mad when they are the targets

When it was reported this week that former President Joe Biden’s FBI may have targeted the cellphones of eight Republican senators in the “Arctic Frost” investigation related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot, the Republicans that were supposedly surveilled were not happy about it.

One was Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who posted on X Wednesday, “We need to know why (ATT) and (Verizon) did not challenge the subpoena for the phone records of eight United States senators when the Biden FBI spied on us during an anti-Trump probe.”

“There needs to be a reckoning for this,” she declared.

On Thursday, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) explained to Blackburn why this might have happened, “It’s called the Patriot Act, FISA, and CISA.”

“Please vote no next time,” he insisted.

During her tenure in the House, Blackburn voted for the Patriot Act each time it came up for renewal since it was passed in 2001 and numerous other federal surveillance measures since that time too.

The Patriot Act was first hastily signed into law in the politically charged days and weeks after 9/11, significantly expanding the federal government’s spying and law enforcement powers. Section 215 allows the F.B.I. to obtain secret court orders and to collect any business records the agency deems vital to national security.

This Act supposedly designed to target potential terrorists has since been used to go after drug dealers, track website users, parents at school board meetings, and more.

Perhaps even spying on Republican senators.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has long been a vocal champion of the Patriot Act. He was also one of the Republicans reportedly surveilled — and he’s very mad about it.

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Graham roared to Attorney General Pam Bondi, “Can you tell me why my phone records were sought by the Jack Smith agents?” — Smith being the J6 investigation special counsel.

“Why did they ask to know who I called and what I was doing from January 4th to the 7th?” Graham wondered loudly and aggressively.

In May 2015, after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) attempted to block an extension of the Patriot Act with a ten-plus hour filibuster, Sen. Graham famously rolled his eyes over Paul’s efforts.

Paul warned that the Patriot Act undermined civil liberties. Then and now, Graham has always appeared to have full faith in the government handling power responsibly.

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California Court Blocks Trump Admin’s Access to SNAP Recipients’ Data

A San Francisco district court temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Oct. 15 from accessing information about food stamp recipients in several states.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit jointly with 20 other states against the USDA in July, alleging the agency violated several federal laws and the U.S. Constitution by asking for detailed information about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.

“The Trump Administration can try all it wants to strong arm states into illegally handing over data, but we know the rule of law is on our side,” Bonta said in a statement.

“We will continue to vigorously litigate this lawsuit and defend our communities, protect privacy, and ensure that remains a tool for fighting hunger—not a weapon for political targeting.”

The USDA has threatened to cut off some federal funding to states that don’t hand over SNAP data.

California receives more than $1 billion a year to administer the program.

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How the Military Exposed the Tools That Let Authorities Break Into Phones

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) really doesn’t want the public to know what it’s doing with Cellebrite devices, a company that helps law enforcement break into a locked phone. When it announced an $11 million contract with Cellebrite last month, ICE completely redacted the justification for the purchase.

The U.S. Marine Corps has now done the opposite. It published a justification to a public contracting platform, apparently by mistake, for a no-bid contract to continue putting Cellebrite’s UFED/InsEYEts system in the hands of military police. The document is marked “controlled unclassified information” with clear instructions not to distribute it publicly. UFED/InsEYEts “includes capabilities exclusive to Cellebrite and not available from any other company or vendor,” the document claims, before going on to list specific capabilities for breaking into specific devices.

Reason is posting the document below, with phone numbers redacted.

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