Who among us has never entered a password incorrectly?
There are few devices or services that don’t require a unique set of numbers, letters, or words, or even a fingerprint or facial photo before a user can legitimately access what’s theirs.
or duly ordered by a court.
Last November, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told FBI agents he had made an innocent mistake by changing the passcode on his cell phone and then forgetting it, making it more difficult for agents to examine its contents. He said he committed a crime.
According to a five-count federal indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan, it was more than just a whim.
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Details: New York City Mayor Eric Adams charged with bribery and foreign funding
Prosecutors allege that Adams accepted illegal foreign donations from Turkey, defrauded the city’s campaign finance program and relied on the fire department to open the new Turkish consulate in a skyscraper without safety inspections. There is.
Adams maintains his innocence and becomes the first sitting New York mayor to be indicted in modern times.
telephone, telephone stall
The 57-page indictment is filled with cell phone pranks, including messages from Adams campaign staffers who allegedly took advantage of $100,000 in illegal Turkish donations during the 2021 mayoral race. Contains disgusting traces of being burned. (Adams won that year’s Democratic primary by just 7,000 votes.)
Last November 2, the former police chief was in Washington for a meeting at the White House when he learned that the FBI had visited the home of his top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs. Prosecutors said Suggs called Adams five times before answering the door.
The mayor canceled a meeting at the White House and rushed back to New York.
According to the indictment, Adams’ employee allegedly made an excuse during an FBI interrogation and deleted an encrypted messaging app on his cell phone that he had been using to communicate with Turkish businessman Adams and others while he was in the bathroom. Ru.
Four days later, the FBI arrived with a search warrant for Adams’ own cellphone, but the mayor only had two official devices in his possession. His private phone, used to discuss campaign finance and official favors to the Turkish government, was located at his home.
Dazed (now indicted) Mayor
On Nov. 5, Adams handed over the phone, but a problem arose.
“The next day, when Adams turned over his personal cell phone in response to a subpoena, it was found to be ‘locked’ and required a password to be opened,” the indictment states. “Adams claimed that after he learned of the investigation into his actions, he changed his password ‘same day’ and increased the complexity of his password from four to six digits.”
The mayor said he changed passwords to prevent staff from accidentally deleting anything.
“However, Adams further claimed that he was unable to provide the FBI with the password to unlock the phone because he had forgotten the password he had just set,” the indictment states.
It’s unclear whether investigators were able to crack Adams’ phone without using the newly created six-digit password. The indictment cites numerous text messages exchanged by members of his circle.
Read more: Forgot your password? Experts say that’s because common password advice is bad.
The phone operation was just one of several moves by Adams and others to “conceal their illegal activities from public and law enforcement scrutiny,” the indictment says.
Earlier this month, federal agents seized the cellphones of Adams, the police chief (who later resigned), two vice mayors, the school’s president, and an aide.
Early Thursday morning, federal agents raided Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, and seized yet another Adams phone.
The number went unanswered when USA TODAY called Thursday afternoon.
