During a federal court hearing, prosecutor Hagan Scotten described the FBI's inability to access Mayor Eric Adams' phone as a "significant wild card," raising concerns over evidence crucial for the ongoing investigation into serious charges against him, including fraud and soliciting foreign donations.
Adams initially submitted two phones, excluding his personal device, which he later provided but claimed the password had been changed after he learned of the investigation, suggesting he took steps to protect his phone's content from being deleted.
Several courts have upheld that police cannot compel a suspect to disclose their phone password due to the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, whereas biometrics could serve as a workaround if enabled.
Investigators from the FBI might still find a way into Adams’ phone, even without his passcode, emphasizing that they possess tools capable of bypassing such security measures, although details about these tools remain undisclosed in the assessment.
Collection
[
|
...
]