Politics · United States · 5 hrs ago
US agents obtained warrants to track producer of Don Lemon's protest coverage
Federal agents obtained warrants in Minnesota and Pennsylvania to use cell-site simulators to locate and arrest Jerome Richardson, court filings show.
Richardson was a 21-year-old college student at the time and has since graduated from Temple University.
He helped produce Don Lemon's coverage of a January protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Thirty-nine people, including Lemon and journalist Georgia Fort, have been charged in connection with the protest.
Protesters said they chose the church because one of its pastors also led ICE's St. Paul field office.
Cell-site simulators imitate phone towers and can collect identifying information from nearby phones, including those of people not suspected of a crime.
The records do not establish whether agents used a simulator to find Richardson or whether applications to target Fort and others were approved; Richardson's lawyers are seeking to exclude the tracking evidence.
US law enforcement agents obtained warrants authorizing the use of cell-site simulators to locate and arrest Jerome Richardson, a former college student who helped produce Don Lemon’s coverage of an anti-ICE protest.
Judges in Minnesota and Pennsylvania signed warrants targeting Richardson’s phone on January 30 and the following day.
Richardson is among 39 people charged over a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The records do not establish whether investigators used a simulator to locate Richardson.
The records also do not establish whether judges approved applications to target the phones of journalist Georgia Fort and former Minnesota Senate candidate Jamael Lundy.
- Who
- Federal law enforcement agents sought to track Jerome Richardson, a former Temple University student who helped produce Don Lemon’s protest coverage.
- What
- Agents obtained warrants authorizing cell-site simulators to locate and arrest Richardson.
- When
- January 30 and the following day; the source does not state the year for these warrant dates.
- Where
- The warrants were signed in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The protest was at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Why
- Richardson’s lawyers said the purpose was locating and arresting him. He is charged in connection with the protest.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Using an advanced surveillance capability such as a cell-site simulator against members of the free press for reporting stories that are unfavorable to the president is an appalling attack on the First Amendment
locating and arresting him
did not know
Protesters targeted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
A Minnesota judge signed a warrant authorizing a cell-site simulator to target Richardson’s phone.
A Pennsylvania judge signed another warrant authorizing a cell-site simulator to target Richardson’s phone.
- People charged
- 39
- Target of warrants
- Jerome Richardson, a former Temple University student
- Protest date
- January 18
- First warrant
- Minnesota, January 30
- Second warrant
- Pennsylvania, the following day
Sources
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