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12/22/2024 05:28:06 pm

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FBI Wants Apple to Unlock iPhone Belonging to Boston Gang Member

San Bernardino

(Photo : Getty Images) The FBI apparently paid hackers up to $1.3 million to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers.

The fight between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has come to Boston as agents are attempting to access an iPhone belonging to a gang member accused of being the triggerman in a street scuffle that resulted in the injury of rival gang member.

The FBI is in possession of two phones that belong to Desmond Crawford. The law enforcement agency was able to get ahold of these devices back in November 2015 and it appears that one of them is an iPhone which FBI agents claim is currently locked and cannot be opened.

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Crawford is a known member of the Columbia Point Dawgs, a street gang which was taken down by a joint force of the FBI and local Boston police. Crawford is currently facing federal charges ranging from racketeering, illegal use of firearm during a crime of violence, committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In an affidavit submitted by the FBI, the agency claims that it was able to intercept a wiretapped phone conversation in which Crawford and another unnamed man were discussing the shooting of a rival gang member and drug dealing. The conversation was dated March 27, 2015.

In an affidavit, FBI agent Matthew Knight wrote, "I ... know that Crawford used his [iPhone] to discuss details related to the shooting of a rival gang member."

FBI agents believe that the iPhone owned by Crawford may hold some valuable information about his gang's operation and other illegal activities, which the agency could use as substantial evidence. The only thing that hinders the FBI from accessing the phone is the security protocol that needs a code to be unlocked.

This case is the latest to surface pitting the Apple against the FBI. The FBI is also involved in a dispute with Apple for the company to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

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