Apple helped feds to catch man accused of burning cop cars in the Apple Crime Blotter
Video shows officer trying to unlock a man's iPhone, a monkey takes selfies in Malaysia, what went on with the Mueller team's iPhones, and more crime stories involving Apple, its products, and services.
A man in handcuffs (image courtesy of Pixabay)
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
According to Patch, which obtained and published the video, the footage contradicts earlier statements by the officers, who have since been suspended.
The accused assailant, who is only 18 years old, was charged with two felony counts of armed robbery, a felony count of substantial battery, and a felony count of burglary of a building or dwelling, the newspaper said.
The data included screenshots of both the suspect in the act, a list of "ingredients" for a Molotov cocktail, and even incriminating videos. The man was arrested and brought up on federal charges of unlawful possession of a destructive device and arson.
Per The Hindustan Times, the man found the phone after losing it, and a relative suggested that he check the photo library for clues, since more than one iPhone theft has been solved that way in the past. But instead, the culprit turned out to be a monkey, who had retrieved the phone from a jungle behind the man's house:
In addition to phones from Samsung, LG, and Huawei, the missing phones include iPhone SE, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11 models. Police added that the phones cannot be activated on a wireless network, although they could work with Wi-Fi.
Per Fox Business, Congressman Doug Collins of Georgia on September 15 demanded that Tim Cook provide information about iPhones belonging to Mueller's staff, following the release of Justice Department records showing that several members of Mueller's team wiped their iPhones due to "forgotten passcodes, irreparable screen damage, loss of the device, intentional deletion or other reasons."
Nefarious as the wiping of the phones may sound to Mueller skeptics, journalist Julian Sanchez found a note in a report from the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General which stated that the office investigating the origins of the Russia investigation was able to get most of the data it needed. In addition, per that report, "the [Justice] Department routinely resets mobile devices to factory settings when the device is returned from a user to enable that device to be issued to another user in the future."
Opera News reports Lesufi had parked his car at a country club.
Have an Apple crime story for us? Email AppleInsider and tell us about it.
A man in handcuffs (image courtesy of Pixabay)
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
Police caught on video tearing off man's mask, attempting to unlock iPhone with FaceID
Surveillance video surfaced in mid-September of police from New York City's Department of Homeless Services handcuffing a Queens man after he photographed them without masks. The video also shows the officers pulling off the man's mask and attempting to unlock his iPhone with FaceID, but the man said he was able to swerve out of their way.According to Patch, which obtained and published the video, the footage contradicts earlier statements by the officers, who have since been suspended.
Accused drug dealer accused of stealing iPhones, along with bong beating
An alleged drug dealer in Wisconsin is accused of beating a man with a glass bong, as part of an alleged home invasion that included the theft of two iPhones and an iPad. The Racine Journal Times reports the incident arose out of a dispute over THC vaping cartridges, and the stolen items include an iPhone 7, an Apple iPhone XS Max, an iPad Pro, an Xbox One, and $2,700.The accused assailant, who is only 18 years old, was charged with two felony counts of armed robbery, a felony count of substantial battery, and a felony count of burglary of a building or dwelling, the newspaper said.
Apple helped to find protestor accused of firebombing police cars
Forbes reported September 16 that Apple agreed to hand over iCloud data to the FBI, to apprehend a man accused of firebombing two police cars in Seattle. The firebombing took place on May 30, during the early days of the protests following the killing of George Floyd.The data included screenshots of both the suspect in the act, a list of "ingredients" for a Molotov cocktail, and even incriminating videos. The man was arrested and brought up on federal charges of unlawful possession of a destructive device and arson.
Malaysian man's iPhone was lifted by selfie-taking monkey
A student who lives in Malaysia lost his iPhone for a day in early September and feared that it had been stolen. But it's not the kind of theft that's going to lead to an arrest, because the phone was actually taken by a monkey, who proceeded to take several selfies.Per The Hindustan Times, the man found the phone after losing it, and a relative suggested that he check the photo library for clues, since more than one iPhone theft has been solved that way in the past. But instead, the culprit turned out to be a monkey, who had retrieved the phone from a jungle behind the man's house:
Something yang korang takkan jumpa setiap abad. Semalam pagi tido bangun bangun tengahari phone hilang. Cari cari satu rumah geledah sana sini semua takde then last last jumpa casing phone je tinggal bawah katil tapi phonenya takde. Sambung bawah. pic.twitter.com/0x54giujnY
-- z (@Zackrydz)
Dozens of iPhones reportedly taken from warehouse in Canada
Police in Calgary said September 15 that a cache of 192 smartphones was stolen from an area warehouse in August, and that customers should be aware of any phone they buy and make sure they're not stolen.In addition to phones from Samsung, LG, and Huawei, the missing phones include iPhone SE, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11 models. Police added that the phones cannot be activated on a wireless network, although they could work with Wi-Fi.
Apple asked about Mueller team members who wiped iPhones
Those who followed Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation closely may remember that multiple people indicted by Mueller, including Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, were incriminated by material found in their iCloud accounts. Now, there's controversy related to the iPhone security habits of Mueller's team.Per Fox Business, Congressman Doug Collins of Georgia on September 15 demanded that Tim Cook provide information about iPhones belonging to Mueller's staff, following the release of Justice Department records showing that several members of Mueller's team wiped their iPhones due to "forgotten passcodes, irreparable screen damage, loss of the device, intentional deletion or other reasons."
Nefarious as the wiping of the phones may sound to Mueller skeptics, journalist Julian Sanchez found a note in a report from the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General which stated that the office investigating the origins of the Russia investigation was able to get most of the data it needed. In addition, per that report, "the [Justice] Department routinely resets mobile devices to factory settings when the device is returned from a user to enable that device to be issued to another user in the future."
Police car struck by drunk driver while investigating stolen iPhone case
A police officer in Wisconsin was at a nightclub investigating a stolen iPhone when an apparently drunk driverstruck his squad car. The incident, according to Patch, took place at 3 a.m. on September 12, and the driver was arrested.South African official's iPad stolen in car break-in
Panyaza Lesufi, a regional member of the Executive Council in South Africa, claimed an iPad Pro with "sensitive information" was stolen from his state-owned BMW in a break-in.Opera News reports Lesufi had parked his car at a country club.
Woman accused of stealing from band booster club bought iPad, laptops
An Ohio woman who was indicted on charges that she embezzled $65,000 from a Band Boosters club over three years used some of the money on an iPad and two laptops. According to The Dayton Daily News, the woman was the treasurer of the organization and was caught after her successor found discrepancies in financial records.Have an Apple crime story for us? Email AppleInsider and tell us about it.
Comments
Apple asked about Mueller team members who wiped iPhones
Department records showing that several members of Mueller's team wiped their iPhones due to "forgotten passcodes, irreparable screen damage, loss of the device, intentional deletion or other reasons."But then you later say it is routine to wipe phones when they are returned... Why did they not just say that as their excuse?
Also there is a difference between wiping the phone and wiping the iCloud data. Those are two different things.
I don't think that any investigative branch destroys any evidence. Such a practice would be very unusual. Rather, it is a practice to keep evidence in perpetuity. It is not uncommon to have storage rooms full of it. I don't think that digital data would be any different.
Allow me to state that I am extremely conservative - far more than anyone you will ever meet unless you live in certain parts of the United States - and am 100% pro law enforcement. Nevertheless, the rumors and slanders concerning Kenneth Walker - the one who fired on police - that one finds on so called but not really conservative websites and blogs are an outrage.
Kenneth Walker is not a drug dealer. He is not a criminal of any sort. Quite the contrary he is (or at least prior to this tragedy was):
1. college educated
2. has never been in trouble with the law
3. gainfully employed (meaning that he has no need for drug money to support himself or buy whatever he wants)
4. the weapon that he fired at the police was registered (which criminals never do because they don't want their firearms to be traced plus illegal guns are generally cheaper)
5. he possesses a concealed-carry license (which one needs to pass a background check to obtain and must uphold a spotless legal record to maintain in most jurisdictions ... even so much as getting into a fight at a bar can threaten your concealed-carry license, so again criminals who are in and out of our revolving door legal system don't bother)
6. related to 3. and 5. Walker had just obtained employment at a high paying job that requires one to pass a drug test and completion of a successful background check. It is almost certain that he lost this job opportunity thanks to spending several weeks incarcerated despite the recording of a terrified Walker frantically calling 911 for assistance - which the police and prosecutors were completely aware of but chose allow him to remain in jail anyway until a media and legal pressure campaign secured his release - makes it absolutely incontrovertiby certain that Walker believed that he tried (and failed) to defend himself and Taylor from criminals attempting a home invasion.
It is amazing that the same right wing types who defended Randy Weaver - who was a cause celebre' among NRA types in the 1990s despite his making and selling an illegal sawed off shotgun to federal agents and then refused for months to avail himself of the many attempts made to get him to turn himself in - are trashing Kenneth Walker.
Now as for the police, I do agree that the warrant was valid, legal and justified and that they absolutely had the right to defend themselves upon being fired upon. However that does not change the fact that the operation was poorly planned, terribly executed and the result got an unarmed woman who at the absolute most would have spent 5 years in jail - and may have gotten only a few months in jail on misdemeanor charges as part of a plea bargain in return for testifying against the "bigger fish" that the police were after that would have ultimately been expunged from her record - killed. Just because it wasn't a crime - whether via premeditation, intent or wanton negligence - doesn't make it right.
1. They did not know that Kenneth Walker was present that night and had no idea who he was (indicating that they did not know that he had a concealed carry license and a legally registered weapon). Had they known this, that would have changed the operation entirely from being a "soft target" to an entirely different one altogether. And since Walker does not have a criminal record and was not involved in the Taylor drug operation, they would have had to change the operation to prevent endangering an innocent third party (which they wound up doing).
2. They didn't know that Walker was there because they had no one assigned to surveil the location prior to the operation. How can you not have a raid location surveiled 24 hours prior to the raid?
3. Because it was considered a "soft target" they did not assign anyone with experience in raiding drug locations to the operation. Instead, they assigned regular beat police officers/detectives to handle a no-knock raid of a drug trade location.
4. Their inexperience showed. They decided not to go with no-knock when due to their inexperience that tactic is what would have minimized the danger. When they knocked and announced, they didn't announce loudly enough and they didn't have or use a bullhorn. This is why of the 13 witnesses interviewed by investigators, only 1 - the person closest - actually heard them announced. The rest didn't hear, which is why it is extremely plausible and likely that Walker and Taylor - who were away from the door and instead in a bedroom that was down a hallway - didn't hear either. It is also likely the police didn't hear Walker yell "Who is it?" several times. I repeat, multiple witnesses stated that they heard the police knock and Walker stated hearing the police knock. But only a single witness stated that they heard the police announce themselves.
5. Expanding upon 4. instead of firing at a specific target - the one who fired on them - the police blindly filled the apartment with lead. Walker - who had firearms training - was in the "crouch and fire" position so he was not hit. Taylor - who lacked such training and was standing normally - was hit several times. (Right wing bloggers who claim that Taylor used her as a human shield ... well hey they defend Randy Weaver and not Walker which tells you all that you need to know about them.)
6. After the firing - which mind you was almost all their own! - stopped, the police did not enter the apartment and investigate for 10-15 minutes! They were supposed to enter immediately for the purpose of disabling any threats and preserving evidence. But since they were not SWAT personnel or otherwise trained to handle these incidents, they didn't. Instead, they waited until Walker called 911 for assistance and then surrendered. During this time, no aid was rendered to Taylor who bled to death. Had procedure been followed she may have been saved!
Again, don't mistake me. Policing is a very difficult job. Police are human and prone to error just like everyone else. And serving warrants like this is among the most difficult and dangerous jobs police can do. I am fully aware that I am a guy typing on a computer second-guessing the actions of police who were doing a job that I cannot do and will never do. I am 100% pro-police because all these folks who rant about "police state" don't realize that the alternative is a criminal state! Which one would you rather live in?
But one can support the police without defaming Walker, whose actions were innocent and - since he thought he was attempting to defend himself and Taylor from a home invasion - even heroic, exactly what an NRA or otherwise second amendment enthusiast who backs castle doctrines and stand your ground (as I do 100%) says that a licensed trained legal gun owner - which Walker is - should do. The only issue with Walker, then, is his choice in girlfriends. As he himself stated that he was fearful of Taylor's drug dealer ex, dating someone like that is an unnecessary risk.
And one can support the police while pointing out their errors in plannings and tactics. Failing to properly surveil the location that they were planning to raid was a problem. Sending Hankison, Mattingly and Cosgrove to execute the warrant was a problem. Look, actual conservatives and libertarians know that police are government - indeed big government! - just like all the rest which means that they need to be held accountable and not blindly supported just like all the rest.
CloudGuy has schooled you already, so there's no need to add to his excellent commentary, but I will ask a question.
Those cops did not administer aid to that woman for more than twenty minutes. They basically hung around and watched her die. Perhaps you'd like to justify that. Because from where I'm standing it looks like corrupt police officers hoping they'd have one less witness to their immense screw-up.