Topic: FBI

Here's One Way to Try to Avoid the FBI's Internet Wiretapping Proposal

AP

The Obama administration is "on the verge of" signing off on a proposal from the FBI that would make it easier for the agency's to intercept online communications. Please allow us to offer a tip that may help you avoid the Feds' steely gaze.

By Philip Bump

May 2, 2013

FBI Adds an African-American Woman from Queens to Most Wanted Terrorists List

For the first time, the FBI has added a woman to its "Most Wanted Terrorists" list. There are a number of caveats that temper that benchmark, including that Joanne Chesimard's crime is probably not the sort of terrorism that you might assume.

Comments | 2,385 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 30, 2013

Police Find Ricin in Wayne Newton Impersonator's Taekwondo Studio

Yes, this story gets weider: Police have found evidence indicating that the man arrested for sending ricin-tainted letters to D.C. attempted to create the poison. According to the AP, a dust mask found in Everett Dutschke's martial arts studio tested positive for the potent poison.

Comments | 591 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Apr 24, 2013

CIA Added Tamerlan Tsarnaev to a Terrorist Watchlist 18 Months Ago

It's not like it's a suprise, but the U.S. intelligence committee is already contradicting itself as the investigation into the Boston bombing unfolds. Turns out the CIA knew about one of the Tsarnaev brothers after all.

Comments | 3,706 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 24, 2013

Why the FBI Didn't Catch Tamerlan Tsarnaev

Reports that Tsarnaev was added to the government's terror watch list seems to bolster the argument that the marathon bombing is the result of FBI error. But that revisionism fails to take into account the scale and complexity of terror investigations.

Comments | 10,135 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Apr 18, 2013

Why Hasn't the FBI's Facial Recognition Technology Found the Boston Bombers?

According to multiple reports, the FBI's investigation into potential perpetrators in the Boston Marathon bombings now centers on "clear video images" that may be released today — possibly without names to faces or answers to America's questions.

Comments | 21,833 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 17, 2013

The Alphabet Soup of Agencies Hunting in Boston, and Feeding Bad Tips to CNN

On a day when confusion reigned, anonymous sourcing could have come from one of dozens of organizations and agencies and elected officials' offices involved in some part of the Boston Marathon bombin investigation. Here's the scope of what "law enforcement sources" look like in this case.

Comments | 5,188 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 6, 2013

The Rutgers Scandal Now Has an F.B.I. Extortion Investigation

If you had an extortion investigation in your "what twists the Rutgers basketball scandal will take next" pool, well, collect your winnings. Also, buy a lottery ticket because you may be telepathic. Because the F.B.I. is investigating Eric Murdock, the whistleblowing former assistant coach, for extortion.

Comments | 6,287 Views

By Philip Bump

Mar 28, 2013

The U.S. Has a Case Against Its Army Vet for Using a 'WMD' Against Assad in Syria

There aren't a lot of rebels fighting against the Assad regime in Syria who update Facebook regularly. There are fewer still who were born in Phoenix, Arizona, and are U.S. Army veterans. But that's not why Eric Harroun faces federal charges. The FBI arrested him because he fought alongside Al Qaeda, employing a "weapon of mass destruction."

Comments | 3,689 Views

By Philip Bump

Mar 15, 2013

Bob Menendez and the Daily Caller Are Both Under Fire Now

A federal grand jury has been convened to examine the relationship between the New Jersey senator and a Florida doctor in an episode which may end up doing as much damage to the reputation of the senator as to the conservative website that attacked him.

Comments | 690 Views

By Philip Bump

Mar 8, 2013

The FBI Might Be a Little Too Scared of the Juggalos

If you're wondering why the FBI designated Juggalos — the fans of the rap duo Insane Clown Posse — as a criminal gang, a newly public set of documents has the answer. Because of news stories, apparently, and because some fans committed crimes.

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 22, 2013

The FBI Has a Sexting Problem Among Its Agents

An internal disciplinary report obtained by CNN shows how the FBI has had to either suspend or fire numerous employees for things like sexting, spying on their bosses, and getting "happy endings" at a massage parlor.

Comments | 5,829 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 21, 2013

FBI Declares War on The Scooter Store

Approximately 150 federal and state law enforcement agents launched a massive raid on one of the biggest perpetrators of government fraud in America: The Scooter Store.

Comments | 49,371 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Jan 22, 2013

Cleared of Wrongdoing, General Allen Wants to Get Back to His Old Life

Over two months after allegations surfaced that he'd carried on an inappropriate relationship with Jill Kelley, the Tampa socialite at the center of the Petraeus scandal, General John Allen is off the hook.

Comments | 517 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 7, 2013

CBS Reveals Mike Wallace's Secret FBI File So the Competition Can't

Few people were better at digging up secret information than the late 60 Minutes veteran Mike Wallace, and now CBS News has honored that memory by posting his FBI surveillance file online.

Comments | 2,835 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Dec 28, 2012

What's Inside the FBI's Secret File on Marilyn Monroe?

We know Marilyn Monroe the actress and Marilyn Monroe the sex symbol, but previously redacted FBI files obtained by the Associated Press now reveal a different side: Marilyn Monroe, suspected communist.

Comments | 3,342 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 23, 2012

The FBI Treated Occupy Like a Terrorist Group

Now that it's been over a year since the Occupy movement swept across the country, FOIA requests are being fulfilled, revealing uncomfortable details about how authorities viewed the protestors.

Comments | 45,282 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Nov 26, 2012

Yes, the Government Can Still Spy on Your Digital Life (for Now)

Ahead of a controversial Senate debate on digital privacy this week, the battle over warrantless cell-phone and Internet searches is beginning to take shape — even as law-enforcement agencies continue to carry out the searches anyway.

Comments | 1,399 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Nov 16, 2012

The Wonderful World of Jill and Scott Kelley

Jill Kelley's seemingly endless charms got her into the White House three times this fall.

Comments | 40,719 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Nov 15, 2012

Now the CIA Is Investigating Petraeus

The sprawling Love Pentagon investigation into the private emails of ex-CIA director David Petraeus, his mistress-biographer Paula Broadwell, and Gen. John Allen has caused multiple reporters to note the irony that our massive surveillance state has started eating itself. It is not yet sated.

Comments | 4,251 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Nov 15, 2012

Here's the Shirtless FBI Agent Photo — And It's a Joke

Defenders of the FBI agent who emailed a shirtless photo of himself to Jill Kelley said the image was a joke. Now that it's been leaked to The Seattle Times's Mike Carter, we understand why.

Comments | 17,961 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Nov 15, 2012

Paula Broadwell Wanted to Give Petraeus Lance Armstrong for His Birthday

When Paula Broadwell wrote on Facebook, "Can anyone introduce me to Lance Armstrong?" it was not social-climbing, but birthday shopping.

Comments | 5,067 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Nov 14, 2012

Meet the Shirtless FBI Agent from the Petraeus Love Pentagon

Just a couple days after we learned about a nameless FBI agent who launched the investigation that eventually uncovered David Petraeus's extramarital affair, we know that agent's name: Frederick W. Humphries II.

Comments | 20,846 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Nov 13, 2012

Jill Kelley Ran a Bogus Cancer Charity, Wants 'Diplomatic Protection'

Jill Kelley does not appreciate the flood of attention she's been receiving since the investigation into David Petraeus's affair -- the one that she started -- captivated the nation.

Comments | 22,769 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Nov 13, 2012

Why Is Love Pentagon an FBI Case?

While David Petraeus's sexy email scandal has given us many things—a clearer picture of Petraeus's public relations machine, insight into the military-industrial-housewife complex, the understanding that 60-year-olds are no more responsible about sexy Internet use than are tweens—we still don't understand where it came from.

Comments | 8,122 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Nov 13, 2012

Maybe There Weren't 30,000 Pages of Emails

How could Gen. John Allen be such great pen pals with Jill Kelley that they exchanged 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails? An Allen defender says they were not involved ("Allen has never been alone with Jill Kelley") and that number has been wildly overstated.

Comments | 11,670 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Nov 13, 2012

There's Something About Jill Kelley

Defenders of both ex-CIA director David Petraeus and Gen. John Allen deny they were romantically involved with Jill Kelley, and even if that's true, the lady sure knew how to pull strings.

Comments | 92,377 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Nov 12, 2012

The Petraeus Scandal Takes a Turn for the Shirtless

The rapidly unfolding saga of David Petraeus, Paula Broadwell, Jill Kelley and an unnamed FBI agent is getting trashier by the minute.

Comments | 24,952 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Nov 12, 2012

Trimming the Times

The F.B.I., MSNBC, and the National Book Awards

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 782 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Nov 12, 2012

Evidently, the FBI Knew About the Petraeus Affair for Months

While the resignation of former CIA director David Petraeus seemed rather abrupt to everybody else, a number of higher ups in the government have been sitting on the revelation about the retired general's affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell since late summer.

Comments | 6,501 Views

By Connor Simpson

Nov 10, 2012

There's a Mystery Third Woman in the Petraeus Affair

New reports coming out about the affair between former CIA director David Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell reveal there was a third woman involved that led the FBI to discover the affair.  

Comments | 45,738 Views

By John Hudson

Nov 1, 2012

Six Weeks Later, There Are Still Plenty of Sensitive U.S. Documents Lying Around in Benghazi

It's been more than six weeks since the U.S. compound in Benghazi was attacked, but reporters are still turning up sensitive U.S. documents lying about the wreckage.

Comments | 2,571 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Oct 17, 2012

If the FBI Both Planned and Thwarted a Terrorist Attack, Who's the Hero?

A 21-year-old Bangladeshi man failed to blow up the Federal Reserve Building in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday, largely thanks to the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Comments | 15,826 Views

By Adam Martin

Sep 13, 2012

The Arrest of the Face of Anonymous Will of Course Be Televised

When you're the so-called face of Anonymous, a lot of your life gets documented online, including, for Barrett Brown, video threats to an FBI agent and his subsequent arrest.

Comments | 2,258 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Sep 10, 2012

App Maker, not Apple or the FBI, Was the Source of User Data Leak

Turns out the FBI isn't doing some big brother tracking using Apple UDIDs which hacker group Anti-Sec released last week. Florida publisher Blue Toad, which builds digital products for publishers, has told NBC News's Kerry Sanders and Bob Sullivan that the leaked data came from its servers. 

Comments | 2,000 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Sep 10, 2012

Mayor of Trenton Arrested in Federal Corruption Probe

The Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, was arrested along with seven other people as the FBI prepares to unleash formal charges following a months-long corruption investigation.

Comments | 6,650 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Sep 7, 2012

An FBI Battle Over Phone Passwords Is Brewing

It's not technically legal, but if the feds had it their way, they could have easy access to all the data on our phone even if it is password protected, The Wall Street Journal's Julia Angwin explains.

Comments | 680 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Sep 5, 2012

Apple Statement Makes AntiSec FBI Hack Look Less Likely

After the FBI denied that the hacker group AntiSec got yesterday's published Apple UDID data from them, Apple is also saying that they never gave any information up to the bureau, making an FBI hack look less likely. 

Comments | 1,200 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Sep 4, 2012

What Was the FBI Doing with 12 Million Apple IDs Anyway?

This morning AntiSec released a list of 1 million out of 12 million Apple UDID's that it said it got from the FBI, which has raised many questions, most prominently perhaps: Just what was the FBI doing with that data in the first place?

Comments | 4,244 Views

By David Wagner

Aug 15, 2012

Why the Insane Clown Posse Should Embrace Their FBI Rap Sheet

Insane Clown Posse plans to sue the FBI, who've called the Juggalos "a loosely-organized hybrid gang." But ICP should've welcomed the attention. Having an FBI rap sheet has always been a rite of passage for musicians.

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Eric Randall

Aug 10, 2012

Insane Clown Posse Won't Take FBI Gang Designation Lying Down

Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, the hip hop duo that makes up Insane Clown Posse is pretty unhappy with the FBI for labeling their fan-base, known as Juggalos, as a "loosely-organized hybrid gang," so unhappy that they're suing.

Comments | 3,354 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 8, 2012

Footage of Kim Dotcom's Police Raid Looks Like an Action Movie

Footage of Kim Dotcom raid has finally surfaced, and it makes you wonder if the two helicopters, multiple teams of armed guards, four police vehicles, attack dogs, and a special tactics squad were really necessary to bring the 300-pound founder of Megaupload along with five Filipino females and three children into custody.

Comments | 1,787 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jul 6, 2012

How to Check If You'll Lose Internet Monday

Come Monday somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 computers won't be able to get onto the Interwebs because of some complicated expiration of FBI protection of DNS malware. Don't let that be you.

Comments | 18,846 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jun 11, 2012

Steve Jobs' Pentagon File Explains Why He Was a Jerk, Drug User, and Criminal

Following the FBI file that confirmed Steve Jobs was a jerk, drug user and poor student, Wired has gotten its hands on a Department of Defense file which shows Jobs doing a little explaining for his suspect behavior. 

Comments | 12,670 Views

By Adam Martin

May 16, 2012

Revenge Porn Kingpin Hunter Moore Got a Visit From the FBI

The Village Voice's lengthy cover story on Hunter Moore's possible hacker connections at his former revenge porn site Is Anyone Up answers one question many of us have had: Yes, the FBI is looking into Moore and his now-shuttered site, something it has denied.

Comments | 3,887 Views

By Eric Randall

May 2, 2012

Huge Round of Arrests for $450 Million in Medicare Fraud

CNN reports that the government has arrested 100 people in another huge health care fraud bust, and based on previous instances of this kind, there are bound to be some scandalous tidbits forthcoming.

Comments | 6,725 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 1, 2012

FBI Supplies Cleveland 'Anarchists' with Fake Bombs, Arrests Them

Whew. The FBI arrested five "anarchists" last night, who allegedly had their sights set on blowing up a Cleveland area bridge and no, it has nothing to do with the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden.

Comments | 2,070 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 24, 2012

Saints GM Denies Using Nixonian Dirty Tricks; Directing the NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints are courting trouble again and the FBI is involved this time, how to fill 23 hours of NFL Draft coverage, and Bobby Valentine is only now geting around to denying rumors of an ugly clubhouse incident from March.

Comments | 464 Views

By Leah Bartos, ProPublica

Apr 17, 2012

It's Way Too Easy to Become an Expert Witness in Forensics

This is how I -- a journalism graduate student with no background in forensics -- became certified as a "Forensic Consultant" by one of the field's largest professional groups.

Comments | 690 Views

What J. Edgar Hoover Did to a New York Times Critic of the FBI

In the early 1970s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation considered it pertinent biographical information that The New York Times' Tom Wicker suffered from “mental halitosis.” Since this is not, strictly speaking, a medical condition, they qualified the classification with “apparently.”

Comments | 1,964 Views

By Eric Randall

Apr 10, 2012

Alleged Child Pornographer Takes Bin Laden Place on FBI's 'Most Wanted' List

The F.B.I. has finally filled the vacancy on their Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list created by Navy SEALS who killed Osama bin Laden last May, and the unlucky winner is Eric Justin Toth, a 30-year-old alleged child pornographer.

Comments | 6,783 Views

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