D.Colo.: Facebook search warrant investigating threats to kill police officers was not overbroad

Defendant posted threats to kill police to his Facebook page, and the government got a warrant for all his postings and other data about him (“likes,” “friends,” “pokes”). He claimed that the scope of the warrant exceeded the probable cause, but the court disagreed. The nature of the threat permitted breadth here. United States v. Wheeler, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6497 (D. Colo. January 16, 2013):

As the Government points out, at the time the Warrant was issued, Agent Kavanaugh was investigating an ongoing threat to the safety of Grand Junction residents. He did not know whether there was an actual plan to bomb the daycare and kill police officers or whether the comments on Defendant’s Facebook page were idle threats. The fact that Defendant was ultimately charged only with making threats does not dictate the limits of the scope of the Warrant at the time it was issued. United States v. Eisner, 297 F.2d 595, 597 (6th Cir. 1962). Instead, the Court must determine whether the Affidavit established probable cause to issue the warrant, considering the totality of the circumstances at the time the Warrant was issued.

. . .

Defendant contends that the Affidavit did not establish probable cause to search for the vast majority of the information that was permitted under the Warrant. (ECF No. 75 at 4.) For example, Defendant contends that there is no probable cause to search for his “Friends” list, what pages he “liked” or became a fan of, who he may have “poked”, or what items he sold on Facebook’s Marketplace. (Id. at 4-5.) In essence, Defendant is not arguing about whether there was probable cause to issue the Warrant at all; rather, Defendant is challenging the scope of the warrant and whether the Affidavit established probable cause for such a warrant.

The Court finds that the Warrant was not overbroad and that the Affidavit established probable cause to search for all of the aspects covered by the Warrant. The comments posted on Defendant’s Facebook page repeatedly referred to Defendant’s “religious operatives and followers” and instructed them to kill cops (generally and a particular list of officers) and to “commit a massacre in the stepping stones preschool and daycare, just walk in and kill everyone”. (Aff. ¶ 7.) The comments also said that “nobody in america knows who i have been associating with outside america, we are ready, we are coming back, and we are doing this. and just like i told them, when the cuffs go on the bombs go off.” (Id. ¶ 9.) Thus, the comments on Defendant’s Facebook page plainly indicated that Wheeler was not acting alone, but it failed to provide any insight into with whom he may have been conspiring.

The Affidavit, in turn, states that the purpose of the Warrant is to seize “conspiratorial communications with others” regarding “[t]hreats and threatening communications, incitements to violence, [and] threats to use destructive devices”, as well as obtaining “[r]ecords relating to who created, used, or communicated with the user ID, including records about their identities and whereabouts.” (Id. att. B.) Given the comments on Defendant’s Facebook page about the involvement of others in his plans, Agent Kavanaugh could have reasonably believed that information obtained from Facebook, such as who Defendant’s “friends” were, what pages he “liked”, and who he “poked”, would provide insight into who these other actors were and where they may have been located. The identity and location of these other actors is evidence related to the crime for which Plaintiff was being investigated. Accordingly, Agent Kavanaugh’s Affidavit established probable cause for the search of Defendant’s Facebook account. Roach, 582 F.3d at 1200 (probable cause exists where the totality of the information establishes the fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place).

“The touchstone of the Fourth Amendment analysis is reasonableness.” United States v. Knights, 534 U.S. 112, 118, 122 S. Ct. 587, 151 L. Ed. 2d 497 (2001). Given the totality of the circumstances facing Agent Kavanaugh at the time he applied for the Warrant, the Court finds that the scope of the Warrant was reasonable. The Court further finds that the Affidavit upon which the Warrant was issued sufficiently established probable cause to believe that the search would lead to evidence of a crime. Accordingly, Defendant’s Motion to Suppress Fruits of an Illegal Search is denied.

Note: The word “standing” never appears in the opinion. Apparently the court assumed defendant’s standing to challenge a search of his Facebook account in Facebook’s servers. Some courts wouldn’t be so kind, I don’t think, and would apply Smith v. Maryland to it. (I’m kind of surprised a First Amendment free association claim wasn’t made because the warrant sought information about his friends.)