FBI Hires Best Buy's "Geek Squad" to bring down 2,300 Pedophiles!
After conducting a three-month, nationwide sting operation targeting suspected pedophiles of Internet sex crimes related to children has resulted in the arrest of over 2,300 people, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
The operation, known as Broken Heart, took place between March and May of 2018 - and targeted individuals suspected of variety of online sex crimes, including involvement in child pornography, child sex trafficking and the enticement of children for sexual purposes.
Now here's the plot twist...
1) Best Buy was not aware of this undercover operation
2) Over 25,200 sexual abuse complaints were investigated
3) The FBI found 195 people who were actually producing child pornography or actively abusing children
IS GEEK SQUAD A BRANCH OF THE FBI?
Informants working for Best Buy's Geek Squad, a group of computer repair gurus, received $500 payments from the bureau to snoop through the personal documents of a customer's computer that was surrendered for servicing.
The question is: did the FBI's years-long operation with Geek Squad employees sidestep the computer owners' Fourth Amendment rights?
The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures.
ONE SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT
Best Buy has described the employee's decisions to aid the FBI & receive payments as "very poor judgement and inconsistent with our training and policies."
One California attorney, James Riddet, told The Washington Post last year that the FBI's relationship with Best Buy effectively turned the company's searches into government searches.
"If they’re going to set up that network between Best Buy supervisors and FBI agents, you run the risk that Best Buy is a branch of the FBI," Riddet told the newspaper.
Riddet's client, a California doctor named Mark Rettenmaier, faced child pornography charges after a Geek Squad technician found a questionable image on his hard drive, which was sent to Best Buy's Kentucky facility after he sought repairs.
A federal judge eventually dismissed the charges, claiming a resulting warrant to search Rettenmaier's home stemmed from "false and misleading" information. The hundreds of child pornography images, prosecutors said — was simply thrown out.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT
The other side of the argument says, "well no one seized the customer's personal property illegally." Best Buy also stated that employees have "a moral and...legal obligation" to report inadvertent findings of child pornography. The FBI declined to comment...
What are your thoughts? Is this justified, or has the FBI it too far?
“It takes a village to raise a child and it takes an army to protect the village” ? ?
6 年Paul DeBrino thanks for the tag! Shared. I think once you've downloaded and/or shares child porn, you've just given up your rights. Period.
Production Support Engineer / Successful Implementation, Integration, Process Improvement, SQL SSRS SSIS DevOps, with a variety of Client Engagement roles.
6 年Don't be in denial - this abhorrent activity is in EVERYONE'S backyard.? The perps shown in the below Sheriff video were current #DisneyWorld AND #LegoLand employees!! What is PEDOPHILIA and Child Sex Trafficking? Florida's Polk County SHERIFF describes it in SICKENING detail - https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6410672685738655744 Grateful for all those who fight to expose + prosecute Human Trafficking / Pedophilia / Sex Trafficking .. and to care for the VICTIMS, especially the warriors at the forefront such as: Corporal Alan Wilkett Craig Sawyer #V4CR Jenifer Gerae Kyle Reyes Alternate link to video - https://mobile.twitter.com/lionelmedia/status/1004695628948099072?s=21
Adaptable, Experienced, Outgoing
6 年I am not surprised nobody wanted to touch this one on LinkedIn, it’s a tough and emotional topic