Former FBI agent accused of pocketing $100,000 in cash during drug raids in California | FBI’s FIFA Mole Took Bribes Ahead of French, South African World Cups | FBI director tells Greens Farms grads money not true measure of success | FBI Director to GFA Grads: ‘Success is Life of Joy and Meaning’ - WestportNow.com | On Allen Ginsberg's 89th birthday, read his FBI file: "His files detail the agency's creepy fascination with his personal life, while it was his own flamboyance that ultimately held them at bay: 'No interview of Ginsberg is recommended at any time,' agents wrote, 'in view of his narcotic and sexual proclivities, his psychiatric history and his connections with mass media.' Happy birthday Allen!"

Former FBI agent accused of pocketing $100,000 in cash during drug raids in California | FBI’s FIFA Mole Took Bribes Ahead of French, South African World Cups | FBI director tells Greens Farms grads money not true measure of success | FBI Director to GFA Grads: ‘Success is Life of Joy and Meaning’ - WestportNow.com | On Allen Ginsberg's 89th birthday, read his FBI file: "His files detail the agency's creepy fascination with his personal life, while it was his own flamboyance that ultimately held them at bay: 'No interview of Ginsberg is recommended at any time,' agents wrote, 'in view of his narcotic and sexual proclivities, his psychiatric history and his connections with mass media.' Happy birthday Allen!" - FBI News Review

"His files detail the agency's creepy fascination with his personal life, while it was his own flamboyance that ultimately held them at bay: 'No interview of Ginsberg is recommended at any time,' agents wrote, 'in view of his narcotic and sexual proclivities, his psychiatric history and his connections with mass media.' Happy birthday Allen!"

On Allen Ginsberg's 89th birthday, read his FBI file

FBI News Review

FIFA president Sepp Blatter among FBI probe targets - report
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:26 PM

ESPN FC - World Cup News

The FBI and U.S. prosecutors were investigating Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president who announced his resignation on Tuesday, as part of the probe that led to last week's stunning indictments, sources familiar with the case told ABC News.

The FBI declined to comment because Blatter has not been publicly identified as a target of the investigation.

U.S. authorities last week indicted 14 people -- nine football officials and five sports-marketing executives -- who face charges of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. They are accused of accepting more than $150 million in bribes.

ABC News reported that the investigation hoped to use those indicted to provide information that could lead to charges against their superiors -- much as federal agents would in a mob racketeering case.

"Now that people are going to want to save themselves, there's probably a race to see who will flip on [Blatter] first," one of the sources said, explaining how the feds typically try to get people to inform on their superiors.

"We may not be able to collapse the whole organisation, but maybe you don't need to," one of the sources said.

Last month, E:60's Jeremy Schaap reported that ESPN could find no record of Blatter having entered the U.S. since 2011. Sources told Schaap that Blatter decided, because of the FBI investigation, that it would be unwise to set foot on American soil.

During last week's announcement, officials repeatedly told reporters that the investigation was ongoing.

Though that is standard language for the FBI and federal prosecutors, the sources told ABC that, in this case, it was particularly true.

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FBI 'Imploring Congress to Help' in Fighting ISIS Recruitment in US
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:25 PM

ABC News: Politics

The man leading FBI efforts to stop ISIS-inspired attacks in the United States is “imploring” Congress to help give authorities access to some of Americans’ private communications, noting there are perhaps thousands of people in the country secretly feeding on ISIS propaganda each day.

In certain cases, the FBI has no way of monitoring, or even knowing about, conversations among ISIS followers, and that “is troubling,” FBI counterterrorism chief Mike Steinbach told lawmakers today.

“With its widespread distribution model and encrypted communications, [ISIS] is afforded a ‘free zone’ by which to recruit, radicalize, plot and plan,” he said.

For the potential radicals the FBI does know about, authorities are taking no chances, Steinbach said, referring to the incident a day earlier that left a Massachusetts terror suspect dead.

In that case, an FBI agent and Boston police officer approached 26-year-old Usaama Rahim in a parking lot early Tuesday morning. But when Rahim allegedly pulled a large knife on them and wouldn’t drop it, they opened fire.

Rahim had expressed a desire to attack law enforcement officials, and he was placed under 24-hour surveillance by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, sources told ABC News. An associate was arrested overnight.

“The [terror suspects] that are out there … we are monitoring them very closely for any type of action, any type of overt steps,” Steinbach said. “And when we see those, we’re not taking the chance.”

But it’s becoming increasingly “problematic” for authorities to see such action and those kinds of steps, Steinbach indicated.

“We’re past going dark in certain instances,” Steinbach warned. “We are dark.”

At issue is the public’s growing desire to keep personal communications private, especially in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations about U.S. government surveillance programs.

Responding to market demands, companies are building mobile devices and software that encrypt communications so deeply that the companies themselves can’t access a person’s communications, even when a federal judge orders it, authorities have warned.

“I think it’s a tremendous threat to the homeland,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, which was hearing testimony today from Steinbach and other U.S. counterterrorism officials.

Steinbach said the U.S. public needs to have “an honest conversation” – without “the rhetoric” – about how far technology companies should go with their encryption software.

“This is not a conversation about national security at the expense of privacy,” Steinbach insisted. “We’re not talking about large-scale surveillance techniques. We’re talking about going before the court … [suggesting] there’s a terrorist, and showing that burden of proof.”

But as U.S. law stands right now, only specific “telecommunications providers” are required to assist law enforcement, and those providers are “a small subset of the companies that are out there that provide communications services these days,” Steinbach said.

“We are imploring Congress to help us seek legal remedies towards that,” Steinbach told the House panel, noting that private companies themselves are also part of the solution.

While “urgently” asking for lawmakers’ help, Steinbach said there are “hundreds, maybe thousands” of people inside the United States following ISIS propaganda online.

Since the beginning of this year, ISIS has published 1,700 pieces of “terrorist messaging,” including videos, pictorial reports and online magazines, deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center John Mulligan testified.

In all, an estimated 200,000 people receive the ISIS message each day around the world. It starts with about 2,000 “core” propagandists posting on Twitter and elsewhere, and then another 50,000 people “re-Tweet” and further distribute that messaging, according to Steinbach, citing a Brookings Institution report issued in March.

It’s “a new era where terrorism has gone viral,” McCaul said in opening his hearing.

More than 200 Americans have joined ISIS or attempted to travel to Syria to join terrorist groups there, Steinbach said.

-- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 31494782.

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Someone Is Pretending to Be an FBI Shell Company
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:25 PM

Motherboard RSS Feed

Image: Pixelbat/Imgur

Yesterday, a new report confirmed that the FBI is flying unmarked surveillance planes over major US cities, using the cover of fake companies with names like “OBD Leasing” and “FVX Research”

Now it seems someone—though probably not the FBI—is posing as one of those companies, attempting to deny affiliation with the Feds via a hilariously bogus website, complete with stock photos.

The website of “FVX Research,” which came online just today, has all the hallmarks of a fake company—from the stock Wordpress theme to the cookie-cutter praises posted to its “Testimonials” page. The homepage lists an address in Washington, DC and includes a press release, which is linked to by an FVX Research Twitter account, denying government ties.

“Let us make this clear, we (FVX Research) are not associated in any way, shape, or form with the Federal Bureau of Investigations or commonly known as (FBI) or any governmental entity,” the website's message states. “Our brand and identity is being used in slanderous allegations, and we are working closely with our legal resources to combat this.”

Screencap of the fake FBI shell company site. Image: Pixelbat/Imgur

The message also starts with special mention of Reddit, implying FVX's parody web presence could be a prank by one of the site's users. The FVX Twitter account later tweeted at Kim Dotcom, then replaced the entire site with an image of him, making it pretty clear that whoever is behind it knows their audience—or that this whole thing is really a viral ad for MEGA (please god, no).

Most hilariously, as Imgur user pixelbat points out, a simple Google reverse image search reveals that the company's suspiciously attractive “staff” is actually a bunch of stock photos. The same fake people can be found with different names on other obviously fake websites.

Doing a quick WHOIS lookup of the domain reveals several more pieces of (likely false) information. The registration lists one “Robert Hastings” and a 202 number which I tried calling, but no one answered and I was directed to a generic voicemail inbox. Then about 10 minutes later, the same number called me back, but there was only silence on the other end of the line.

The site transformed into a Kim Dotcom ad. Image: Josh Kopstein (screencap)

The address “NSA.GEN.IN” is also listed as the organization name in the WHOIS. Traveling to that site generates a pop-up login prompt, and after hitting “cancel” the site displays the following ominous message:

“UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THIS SYSTEM IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND PUNISHABLE BY FEDERAL LAW. UNAUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS SHOULD TERMINATE THEIR ACCESS NOW. Individuals using this computer system, with or without proper authority, are subject to having all their activities monitored and recorded by authorized employees and should have no expectation of privacy. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and to all appropriate disclosure of any evidence of criminal activity to law enforcement officials.”

Creepiness aside, the website's blunders are just way too obvious to be a bumbled FBI attempt to salvage one of its front companies. In the AP article about the spy planes, a spokesperson even admitted that the Bureau will have to create new fake companies to replace any that the report publicized.

From any angle, the site smells much more like someone's Reddit joke than an FBI cover-up campaign.

Update: As of late afternoon, the site has returned to its original pre-Dotcom state and the silly tweets that followed have been deleted. It's similar to what might happen if a real company were hacked, but it's more likely pranksters are just making it look that way for the lulz.

Read the whole story

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FBI calls for new wiretap law covering social media
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:24 PM

Computerworld Grant Gross

Encrypted social networking tools are hindering the FBI's ability to track terrorists and recruiters who are appealing to young people in the U.S., an FBI official told lawmakers.

Congress must pass a new wiretap law that requires social media websites and operators of other Internet communication tools to share customers' communications with law enforcement agencies the same way that telecom carriers do, Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, said Wednesday.

At a congressional hearing Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said terrorist recruiters are using social networking tools to support their cause.

Congress should use the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) as a model for new rules focused on Internet-based communications, Steinbach told the U.S. House of Representatives' Homeland Security Committee. His comments build upon the FBI's call in recent months to expand CALEA to Internet communications tools. Agency Director James Comey first called for a CALEA rewrite to cover encrypted mobile phone data last October.

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CALEA requires telecom carriers and equipment vendors to build wiretap capabilities into their products or networks, and critics have accused the FBI of wanting Congress to mandate encryption backdoors in technology products. But the FBI isn't asking for backdoors, Steinbach said.

"We're not talking about large-scale surveillance techniques," he said. "We're not looking at going through a backdoor or being nefarious; we're talking about going to the company and asking for their assistance."

Instead, the FBI wants access to stored or ongoing Internet communications after it shows evidence of criminal or terrorist activity and gets a court order, he said. The FBI needs help from Congress and from communications providers to make that happen, Steinbach said.

"We understand privacy," he said. "Privacy above all other things, including safety and freedom from terrorism, is not where we want to go."

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, called on the committee to look into Steinbach's requests. The so-called Dark Web of hidden websites and encrypted communications is a "tremendous threat to the homeland," he said.

One of the two men who died in a thwarted attack on the site of a Muhammad cartoon-drawing contest in early May had heeded a call to attack the meeting from terrorist groups and posted hints about the attack on Twitter, McCaul said.

"This attack exemplifies a new era in which terrorism has gone viral," McCaul said. "Social media networks have become an extension of the Islamist terror battlefield overseas, turning homegrown extremists into sleeper operatives and attackers. We are no longer hunting terrorists who live in caves and only communicate through couriers."

Terrorists are increasingly using social network tools to recruit converts, but much of the recruiting is done in the open, three government witnesses told the committee.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is running professional-looking marketing campaigns on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other sites to recruit new fighters, not only to the Middle East, but also to engage in terrorist attacks in the U.S. and other Western nations, said John Mulligan, deputy director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center.

Since the beginning of this year, ISIL has published more than 1,700 messages online, including videos and online magazines, he said. Some social media providers take quick action to shut down ISIL recruiters, but others do not, he added.

"There is still much work to be done to encourage greater vigilance and broader sense of corporate responsibility to address this threat to public safety," Mulligan said.

Neither Mulligan nor Steinbach named the companies they were most concerned about, although McCaul mentioned anonymous messaging apps Kik and Whatsapp as well as "data-destroying" apps Surespot and Wickr.

Most lawmakers didn't question Steinbach's call for a rewrite of CALEA, although Rep. Will Hurd, a Texas Republican and former CIA officer, said the proposed changes would have implications for privacy.

"I'm a little bit nervous when we start talking about CALEA expansion," Hurd said.

Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant's email address is <a href="mailto:grant_gross@idg.com">grant_gross@idg.com</a>.

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· · ·

On Allen Ginsberg's 89th birthday, read his FBI file
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:23 PM

Boing Boing

Mike from Muckrock sez, "'My name is Allen Ginsberg and I sleep with whoever I want.' So noted the FBI, in its 89 pages tracking the life, lovers, and political activism of the American poet, who was born this day in 1926."

(Bonus Allen Ginsburg jam: "Put Down That Cigarette Rag.")

The FBI decided to dig deeper into Ginsberg’s background in 1965 after learning that he would be traveling to Cuba to judge a poetry competition. A February 1965 memo from FBI headquarters directed the New York field office to initiate an investigation to "ascertain whether he is engaged in any activities which would be considered inimical to the interest of the U.S."

Two months later, after conducting dozens of informant interviews and checks of arrest, telephone and other records, the New York office sent back its findings. Their report concluded that Ginsberg’s “bizarre” activities did not warrant being added to the “Security Index” of potentially dangerous individuals to be arrested if martial law were declared in the United States.

The New York agents were ordered to conduct their investigation via "circumspect" means and not to interview Ginsberg directly. They determined that such an interview was not warranted and could potentially embarrass the FBI.

FBI: Allen Ginsberg "bizarre," but not dangerous [Muckrock]

Read the whole story

· · ·

Russia And Qatar World Cup Bids Caught In FBI Dragnet
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:23 PM

Just what Vladimir Putin feared. His 2018 World Cup is threatened by an FBI investigation into corruption at the world soccer organization FIFA. While it is unclear whether any of this means that a host city will lose rights to the games, it certainly hits the event with a black eye.

Further out, Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid is also being investigated for possible fraud.

The worst case scenario has Russia losing its host city status and a new bidding practice put in place, one without the alleged bribery scandals FIFA is now known for. In such a scenario, Russia would have to refile its desire to host the 2018 World Cup and hope they win. Russia is spending over 660 billion rubles ($12.5 billion) to prepare for this thing three years from now.

The build-out consists of 12 stadiums, 113 training sites, 62 hotels, 11 airports, and transport infrastructure necessary.

Qatari is the mother lode here. It has earmarked around $20 billion just for World Cup stadiums, stadium upgrades and infrastructure. Work is already underway. To stop would be a huge loss of blood (as in 1,200 people dead already) and treasure.

Both Russia and Qatar have cried foul.

Last week, Putin said that the investigation into his friend Sepp Blatter, the humiliated former president of FIFA, was simply U.S. over-reach. Reading between the lines, this was Putin believing there was some sort of U.S. coup de etat a-foot. The goal: embarrass Russia for its Ukraine imbroglio by roping Russia into the FIFA crisis.

On Wednesday, the Qatar Football Association weighed in. Their argument was that the West doesn’t want a Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup. (Let me guess, this is a Mossad-FBI plot against Muslims?).

Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Joseph Blatter attend the 2014 FIFA World Cup final football match between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 13, 2014. Russia may lose its World Cup hosting privileges in 2018 if it is proven by Swiss and U.S. investigators that bribes were paid to host the event. (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, president of the Foundation, called out England Football Association chairman Greg Dyke today for his comments on redoing the 2022 bidding process.

Al Thani said on the Foundation’s website that, “Mr. Dyke’s instinct to immediately focus on stripping Qatar of the World Cup speaks volumes on his views concerning what will be the first FIFA World Cup to take place in the Middle East.”

So far, Qatar has not been charged with any wrong doing. But that’s because the FBI hasn’t arrived on the scene yet.

The Swiss Attorney General is already conducting its own work into the bidding process for the Russian 2018 and Qatari 2022 World Cups.

Emerging markets love holding World Cup parties. It’s a way to showcase their country to the world, and garner billions in development money, most of it in stadiums, including those that never get used again, like the one built in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.

Included here are ten of the 2014 FIFA World Cup's biggest official sponsors.

Photo: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader

Last week pulled the rug out from under FIFA, once immune to the legal scrutiny of soccer loving nations around the world.

On May 27, the U.S. Attorney General’s office filed indictments in a New York federal court against 9 high-ranking officials and corporate executives affiliated with FIFA for their roles in a decades-long scheme to corrupt the sport through bribes, kickbacks, and other criminal activity aimed at controlling lucrative marketing rights to World Cup soccer.

“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in a statement. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust.”

Related guilty pleas of an additional four individuals and two corporate defendants were revealed last week as well. The investigation snared U.S. sports marketing executives and led to the resignation of Blatter on Tuesday, shortly after being re-elected president. Blatter claimed to have no knowledge of wrong doing. But when a lieutenant of his has been caught with his pants down, Blatter threw in the towel, went to the locker room and turned in his gym keys.

U.S. investigators say that the non-profit FIFA got $150 million in bribes and kickbacks for handing out media and marketing rights. This may, or may not, include the awards to Russia and Qatar.

If bribes were paid, the countries will have to rebid for the rights to host the games.

“The defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world,” noted FBI Director James B. Comey. “Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA,” he said.

Russia and Qatar law enforcement have not said whether or not they would investigate allegations of bribery themselves.

Read the whole story

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Next Page of Stories

Page 2

ACLU: FBI Using Planes Formerly Used On Enemies To Conduct Surveillance Missions Over U.S. | Video
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:22 PM

RealClearPolitics Videos

JOHN ROBERTS, MSNBC: We'll bring in David Brock, ACLU of Maryland. Cell phone surveillance technology is used for tracing and not listening. Can Americans feel confident that is what is actually being done?
DAVID BROCK, ACLU: I don't think Americans should feel confident yet. I think there's far more that we need to know about this program. What's staggering about the AP report is the scale of the program which I think has never been disclosed. We know from the AP they identified less than half of the FBI's planes and based on the information they were able to compile about the planes that they could identify, we -- I think it's fair to say the FBI is conducting over 2,000 surveillance flights every year over the United States. And what we have here is a turning in of technology that used to be used on foreign enemies onto the citizens of the United States. And I think that we need to know a lot more about what's going on.

FBI’s FIFA Mole Took Bribes Ahead of French, South African World Cups
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:21 PM

ABC News: Sports

Copy

The secret insider the FBI used to help indict high-level FIFA officials himself admitted to having taken bribes from two countries in their push to host the World Cup, according to newly-released court documents.

Charles Blazer, an American ex-FIFA executive committee member-turned-government informant, pleaded guilty back in November 2013 to charges of tax evasion and fraud. Today the Justice Department released documents relating to Blazer’s plea that spell out how he got his hands on dirty money long before he helped the FBI clean up the game.

“Among other things, I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup,” Blazer said the November 2013 hearing, according to a court transcript. The bribe was paid by

Morocco

in their bid for the cup, even though

France

eventually won out and hosted the games, another court document says.

Blazer also admitted to “accept[ing] bribes and kickbacks in conjunction with broadcast” for several other tournaments and he said he “and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup.”

The South Africa deal – in which the African nation allegedly promised $10 million to three FIFA executives for their votes – was revealed when the larger FIFA scandal broke last week. But today’s documents show it was Blazer who eventually received $750,000 for his part in the scheme. Last week the South African government denied wrongdoing, saying its audit report after the games was “clean.”

Blazer’s cooperation with authorities appears to have been key in the arrest of several high-level FIFA officials in late May. Indictments filed against 14 people, nine of them FIFA or ex-FIFA officials, repeatedly mention activities involving “Co-Conspirator #1.” While Blazer is not named in those indictments, Blazer’s own criminal information document describes him in the same meetings and taking the same actions as the indictment’s “Co-Conspirator #1.”

U.S. officials previously told ABC News that after he flipped, Blazer went as far as to record conversations with other soccer officials.

Overall, U.S. Justice Department officials say the corruption they’ve uncovered amounted to some $150 million in bribes and kickbacks.

The unsealing of Blazer’s deal comes a day after embattled FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was not charged with any crimes, announced he would be stepping aside. After more than a decade of allegations of corruption and controversy for FIFA under his watch, Blatter won a fifth presidential election just last week.

Sources familiar with the case told ABC News Tuesday that Blatter is being investigated by the FBI and U.S. prosecutors as part of the probe that led to last week’s stunning indictments.

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· ·

10 questions from Sen. Franken on FBI surveillance flights
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:21 PM

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) -

U.S. Sen. Al Franken is pressing the FBI and Department of Justice for answers about the scope and legality of surveillance flights over more than 30 cities, including Minneapolis. The spy flights were first reported in a Medium.com post by Minneapolis-based independent journalist Sam Richards.

Read the first report at https://medium.com/@MinneapoliSam/fleet-of-government-aircraft-flying-secret-missions-over-u-s-cities-84cbdf57dfbb

One week later, the Associated Press confirmed “the FBI is operating a small air force with scores of low-flying planes across the country carrying video and, at times, cell phone surveillance technology -- all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government.” READ MORE

“Many Americans have been troubled by these reports, and as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, I believe it is important to ensure that these programs adequately protect Americans' privacy while furthering public safety and national security,” Sen. Franken (D-Minn.) wrote in his letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey.

Sen. Franken is requesting “detailed written answers” to the following questions:

1. What technologies are used by the FBI during the course of aerial surveillance? To what extent does the FBI use IMSI-catchers, “DRTBoxes,” “dirtboxes,” or “Stingrays”? To what extent does the FBI use infrared cameras? To what extent does the FBI use video cameras?

2. How frequently does the FBI engage in aerial surveillance that utilizes IMSI-catchers, infrared cameras, or video technology? In what types of operations does the FBI deploy aerial surveillance utilizing these technologies? More generally, under what circumstances is aerial surveillance using these technologies deployed?

3. Under what legal authority is the FBI acting when conducting aerial surveillance, including aerial surveillance that utilizes IMSI-catchers, infrared cameras, or video technology? To the extent that the Department of Justice is seeking court approval before deploying any of these technologies during aerial surveillance, is this done on a case-by-case basis or does the Department seek broader authorization? What are judges told about how the technologies deployed work, and the potential impact on innocent Americans? Please provide a representative sample of the applications for these court orders.

4. To the extent that the Department of Justice has developed policies governing the use of IMSI-catchers, infrared cameras, or video technology during aerial surveillance, please identify the policies and legal processes used. Are different technologies subject to different policies or forms of legal process? If so, please describe the application of these policies.

5. Has the Department of Justice developed policies on the retention of data collected in the course of aerial surveillance that utilizes IMSI-catchers, infrared cameras, or video technology? Has the Department developed policies on the destruction of that data? If so, please describe these policies.

6. How many individuals can be detected, tracked, and/or monitored during each surveillance flight? If IMSI-catchers are being used, how many phones can be detected, tracked, and/or monitored during each flight?

7. Reports indicate that some of the surveillance systems have the capability of blocking phone calls, including 911 and other emergency calls. What steps have been taken to ensure that phone calls of non-targeted civilians are not interrupted by the FBI's aerial surveillance?

8. To the extent that aerial surveillance has been deployed above large public gatherings, what steps is the government taking to ensure that such surveillance does not chill constitutionally protected conduct, such as political and religious activity?

9. Has the Department of Justice's Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties conducted a privacy impact assessment or otherwise reviewed the use of technologies utilized during aerial surveillance? Has a review or privacy impact assessment been conducted on the FBI's use of aerial surveillance more broadly? If so, please provide copies of such assessments or reviews.

10. What safeguards are in place to ensure that innocent American's privacy is protected during aerial surveillance utilizing technology that collects data and personal information?

Read Sen. Franken's full letter athttp://www.franken.senate.gov/files/documents/150603FBIPlaneLetter.pdf

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· · ·

FBI says privacy must take backseat to national security in online fight against ISIS — RT USA
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:21 PM

RT - Daily News

Published time: June 03, 2015 21:41

Reuters / Stringer

One of the United States government’s top counterterrorism officials says Congress must help investigators crack the encrypted communications of terrorists as groups like the so-called Islamic State ramp-up their online recruitment efforts.

On Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Michael Steinbach, the assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s counterterrorism division, told the House Homeland Security Committee that the FBI is “imploring for Congress to help” law enforcement with its quest to decrypt digital communications.

Steinbach said that the FBI is working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that the law enforcement tactics currently in use can be implemented as needed, but suggested that legislation might be needed for situations where communications being sought are obfuscated from the eyes of investigators by encryption or other means.

According to Steinbach, individuals belonging to the group calling itself the Islamic State (also known as ISIS, or ISIL), are making the jobs of counterterrorism investigators increasingly difficult by relying more and more on methods of communication that cannot be compromised as easily as more mainstream mediums.

It’s no secret that ISIS proclaims its ideology far and wide with the help of social networking tools like Twitter, enabling the message to be spread among the public instantly. A report issued by the Brookings Institute this past March alleged the individuals sympathetic with ISIS opened at least 46,000 Twitter accounts during the last quarter of 2014, and slickly produced propaganda that the group amplifies with professional social media software has done anything but draw away attention. According to Steinbach, upwards of 20,000 Twitter account holders can end up on the receiving end of a single tweet sent by the group or one of its supporters.

“Unfortunately, social media is a great tool for the public,” he said, “but it also allows for this horizontal distribution which is very difficult to follow.”

Twitter actively suspends ISIS-affiliated accounts, according to the Brookings report, but collecting the private messages of accounts isn’t easy as having a person’s profile shut-down and requires legal action which Steinbach and others think should be easier to achieve.

The blatant spreading of ISIS-endorsed messages and ideals on the open web notwithstanding, backchannel communications sent privately between suspected members and sympathizers are complicating matters for federal investigators, Steinbach said.

Even when private communications can be obtained, Steinbach said that encryption that’s been properly implemented in certain cases has made it a “very problematic issue” for investigators tasked with figuring out the contents of messages.

“We’re not looking at going through a backdoor or being nefarious. We’re talking about going to the company and asking for their assistance,” he said.

“We understand privacy. Privacy above all other things, including safety and freedom from terrorism, is not where we want to go.”

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the committee chair, told Steinbach that “If we have coverage, we can pick up that communication. Because terrorists are increasingly taking their conversations to a “dark space” on the web, however, McCaul warned that investigators “don’t have the ability to monitor these communications.”

The online activity the occurs on the world wide web as it’s widely known to exist only represents a fraction of what’s really online: a vast amount of web traffic unfolds in the realm of the so called “dark web” or “deep web,” where sites aren’t archived by search engines like Google and bits and bytes are routed to remote servers around the world to help anonymize the identities of those who operate there.

McCaul told Steinbach that “one of the greatest concerns” for him personally involves the government’s inability to monitor that portion of the web, and the FBI agent admitted in his response that the bureau believes it’s already well behind with what it calls its “going dark” problem – the FBI’s weakness with regards to cracking into the digital traffic that occurs in the shadows.

“We are past going dark,” Steinbach said. “In some instances, we are dark,”

“The ability to know what they're saying in these encrypted communication situations is troubling.”

In his prepared remarks, Steinbach explained that “changing forms of internet communication are quickly outpacing laws and technology designed to allow for the lawful intercept of communication content.”

“This real and growing gap the FBI refers to as ‘going dark’ is the source of continuing focus for the FBI, it must be urgently addressed as the risks associated with ‘going dark; are grave both in traditional criminal matters as well as in national security matters.”

In April, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s science and technology branch, Amy Hess, told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that it’s critical for cops to “have the ability to accept or to receive the information that we might need in order to hold those accountable who conduct heinous crimes or conduct terrorist attacks.” According to cryptology experts, though, it’s so far been proven impossible to implement a method of bypassing encryption that can only be exploited by some.

“We just can’t do what the FBI is asking without seriously weakening our infrastructure,” Prof. Matt Blaze, a cryptology expert from the University of Pennsylvania’s school of engineering and applied sciences, testified at the time, adding that even attempts have the potential to yield “terrible consequences for our economy and national security.”

Earlier in the week, meanwhile, the CEO of Hacking Team – an Italian cyber vendor whose spyware has been sold to various government customers, including the US Navy and Drug Enforcement Agency – claimed in an email to clients that his company is quite capable of cracking the deep web.

"If you are a lawful user of the Internet, you have little to fear from Hacking Team," he wrote. "BUT IF you break the law or engage in terrorism (or are thinking about it), you should know that the safe haven that the DARKNET provides is beginning to be exposed to the light."

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· · · · ·

FBI Spy Planes Online Tracking: How to discover FBI planes
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:20 PM

BGR

The Associated Press revealed earlier this week that the FBI appears to be the intelligence agency that’s flying spy planes in America for surveillance operations. Even though the FBI tried to keep its spy planes a secret by using dummy companies set up solely to hide them, it turns out that anyone can use a few readily available tools to track FBI planes in real-time and find out who’s operating them.

DON’T MISS: The only Samsung phone never accused of copying Apple just beat iPhones in a massive study

A report on Fusion details how people were able to identify suspected spy planes, track them while they were flying overhead, and even find out information about the companies they supposedly belong to.

The FBI used dummy companies to hide its spy operations and protect the identities of pilots, askingAP not to publish the names of those companies. But as it turns out, that request was pointless.

John Wiseman, a technologist in Los Angeles, used public records to discover FBI plans, and he used a device he programmed to intercept airplane transmissions, identifying several spy operations in the process.

Because there’s plenty of paperwork needed to fly a plane in the U.S., a public record containing flight details for each spy plane flight exists, and Internet users who know where to look can easily find it.

“It seems the FBI is uncreative when it comes to spy craft; the fake companies tracked down by the AP and by Wiseman mainly had three-letter names, including FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation and PXW Services. Because flight records in the U.S. are public, and planes are trackable on radar, the AP was able to track down where these planes flew,” Fusion notes. Furthermore, it looks like the FBI uses special transmission codes (squawk) and callsigns, for its spy planes.

Wiseman got his data even before the AP published its extensive report on the matter.

“I decided to check my database for planes that have squawked 4414/4415 or used one of the suspicious callsigns: I found 8 aircraft in the past 2 months, several of which exhibit suspicious behavior,” he said in a post on Hacker News last month. “Flying for hours at a time without going anywhere in particular (I don’t have position information for them, but I know they’re in the air and not leaving the LA area), flying almost every day for months at a time.”

“I call what I’m doing ‘persistent surveillance': using historical sensor data to retroactively identify and track new subjects, it’s just that my subjects are the government,” Wiseman said. “One of the surprising things I’ve found is that all you need to do is look: the weird stuff jumps out right away, e.g. Cessnas registered to fake-sounding companies that loiter overhead for hours every day.”

Others have used the information offered by the AP report to find the spy planes used by the named dummy corporations, including public flight radar information.

Obviously, this means that bad guys who might be targets of FBI investigations can use similar methods to tell whether they might be tracked by one of the FBI’s planes.

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Grassley wants answers on FBI surveillance protections
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:19 PM

Search Results - Mason City Globe Gazette

DES MOINES | The FBI ought to be embarrassed by revelations it is using aircraft registered to dummy companies to spy on American communities, Sen. Chuck Grassley said Wednesday.

Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has raised concerns about what the agency is doing to safeguard the privacy rights of people subject to surveillance who are not the target of FBI investigations.

He wants the FBI to come clean about media reports that the flights over 30-plus cities in 11 states and Washington over the past month are part of a civilian air force the agency is operating through fictitious companies.

“That would make anyone a bit uncomfortable,” Grassley said about the single-engine planes the FBI has used to fly more than 100 low-level flights.

“It’s not a secret that the FBI uses planes to find and catch criminals. They’ve done that for years,” Grassley said.

The FBI has used aircraft to support ground operations. According to an Associated Press investigation, at least 115 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, were mentioned in a federal budget document from 2009.

The aircraft Grassley is raising questions about are equipped with high-tech cameras and, in some cases, technology capable of tracking thousands of cellphones.

“We don’t know what technology they are using and what they are doing with information on people who have nothing to do with their operation,” Grassley said in a weekly conference call with Iowa reporters. “We also need to know what policies are in place to protect the privacy of Americans and guarantee the program is not being abused.”

In a letter to FBI Director James B. Comey Jr., Grassley asked for the agency to explain scope of the operations, what types of surveillance equipment were and what legal authorities, if any, are being relied upon in carrying out these operations.

“No one finds fault with them for pursuing criminals,” Grassley said. “Everyone expects them to protect us, but there are 4th Amendment privacy rights that we ought to guarantee that the law is being followed and the Constitution is being followed.”

Grassley’s letter can be found at <a href="http://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-wants-more-details-fbi-aerial-surveillance-program" rel="nofollow">www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-wants-more-details-fbi-aerial-surveillance-program</a>.

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US officials: Encryption hinders monitoring extremists
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:19 PM

NewsAdvance.Com - Lifestyles,Lifestyles/

WASHINGTON (AP) — The growing use of encrypted communications and private messaging by supporters of the Islamic State group is complicating efforts to monitor terror suspects and extremists, U.S. law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Appearing before the House Homeland Security Committee, the officials said that even as thousands of Islamic State group followers around the world share public communications on Twitter, some are exploiting social media platforms that allow them to shield their messages from law enforcement.

"There are 200-plus social media companies. Some of these companies build their business model around end-to-end encryption," said Michael Steinbach, head of the FBI's counterterrorism division. "There is no ability currently for us to see that" communication, he said.

Asked later in the hearing if he thought the technology companies were being unhelpful, Steinbach replied, "The companies have built a product that doesn't allow them to help."

He said he was concerned that evolving technologies were outpacing laws that allow law enforcement to intercept communications by suspects.

"We are striving to ensure appropriate, lawful collection remains available," Steinbach said in his prepared remarks.

John Mulligan, the deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center, testified that one of the two men involved last month in an attempted terror attack in Garland, Texas, asked fellow Islamic State supporters before the shooting to move their communications to private Twitter messages. Those men, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, were fatally shot by police after opening fire outside a provocative Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest. No one else was killed.

The hearing also took place one day after police in Boston shot a man under 24-hour surveillance by terrorism investigators when he lunged with a large knife at officers outside a CVS pharmacy. The FBI said Wednesday that the man, Usaama Rahim, plotted for at least a week to attack police and was confronted because he had purchased knives and talked of an imminent attack on "boys in blue."

"These cases are a reminder of the dangers posed by individuals radicalized through social media," said Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and chairman of the committee.

FBI Director James Comey has expressed repeated concern about the ease with which the Islamic State group is able to spread its propaganda to supporters online and to people determined to reach Syria to join the conflict there.

More than 180 U.S. residents and about 4,000 Westerners in all have traveled or attempted to travel to Syria, officials said Wednesday.

___

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP

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FBI Extends FIFA Scrutiny to Russia's 2018 World Cup Host Bid | News
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:18 PM

Kai Pfaffenbach / ReutersChuck Blazer, left, shown here with Sepp Blatter, has been a key part of the F.B.I.'s investigation into FIFA.

The FBI's investigation of bribery and corruption at FIFA includes scrutiny of how soccer's governing body awarded World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar, a U.S. law enforcement official said.

Russia and Qatar have denied wrongdoing in the conduct of their bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which were not the subject of charges announced by U.S. prosecutors a week ago against FIFA officials that stunned world soccer.

The U.S. law enforcement official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the review of the bids would be part of a probe that goes beyond the indictments. Among issues the FBI is examining is the stewardship of FIFA by longtime president Sepp Blatter, who unexpectedly announced on Tuesday he was resigning shortly before it emerged that he too was under investigation by U.S. law enforcement.

Authorities said last week they were investigating a case of $150 million paid in bribes over two decades, while Swiss prosecutors announced their own criminal inquiry into the 2018 and 2022 bids.

On Wednesday, the partially blacked out transcript of the November 2013 guilty plea of Chuck Blazer, a U.S. citizen and FIFA executive committee member from 1997 to 2013, showed he and others in FIFA agreed to accept bribes in bidding for the 1998 and 2010 World Cups and other tournaments.

"Among other things, I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup," Blazer told a federal judge in New York, according to the transcript.

The tournament was hosted by France, but separate court documents contain the prosecutors' allegation that bidding nation Morocco paid a bribe to another FIFA executive, Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, and that Blazer acted as intermediary. Warner has denied this and other charges against him, and late on Wednesday aired a paid political statement saying he feared for his life, but would tell investigators all he knows about corruption at FIFA.

Blazer went on to say in his plea hearing that from 2004 and through 2011 "I and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup."

Blazer's lawyer declined to comment on Wednesday.

Many of the details were previously revealed in charging documents released by prosecutors when they announced indictments for 14 people, including nine FIFA officials.

Soccer power Brazil hosted the World Cup in 2014 but in the case of Qatar, there was some surprise that the tournament was awarded to a small desert country with no real soccer tradition and where daytime summer temperatures can top 40 degrees Celsius (104F).

Qatar's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah said there was no way his country would be stripped of its right to host the World Cup. "It is very difficult for some to digest that an Arab Islamic country has this tournament, as if this right can't be for an Arab state," he told Reuters in an interview in Paris. "I believe it is because of prejudice and racism that we have this bashing campaign against Qatar."

For its part, Russia dismissed concerns it might lose the right to host the cup. "Cooperation with FIFA is going on and, most importantly, Russia is continuing preparations for the 2018 World Cup," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said.

Blatter Pressure

A source close to FIFA said it was Blatter's advisers who had told him he must quit. Critics pointed to the widening criminal probe, disquiet among sponsors, and pressure from European soccer body UEFA as possible reasons.

The international police organization Interpol put two former top FIFA officials on its wanted list at the request of U.S. authorities. It issued "red notices," which are not arrest warrants, for Warner, and Nicolas Leoz, the ex-head of South America's soccer federation.

FIFA has denied that another senior official, Secretary General Jerome Valcke, was involved in a $10 million payment approved by the South African Football Association that lies at the heart of the U.S. investigation.

At a news conference in Johannesburg, sports minister Fikile Mbalula confirmed the payment to Warner during the bid process but denied it was a bribe. Mbalula said the cash was intended for football development in the Caribbean.

Valcke said on Wednesday he was not guilty of corrupt practice relating to the payment and he saw no reason to resign.

Blatter announced his decision to step down six days after police raided a hotel in Zurich and arrested several FIFA officials, and four days after he was re-elected to a fifth term. Blatter has not been charged and FIFA did not respond to a request for comment on his being under investigation.

An election to choose a new president will probably not take place until at least December. Blatter, meanwhile, remains in his position.

Former England captain David Beckham, who was a major figure in England's failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup, joined the chorus of calls for change at FIFA. "Some of the things that we now know happened were despicable, unacceptable and awful for the game that we love so much," he told Sky Sports.

Leadership Candidates

Among potential candidates to lead FIFA, UEFA chief Michel Platini, a former French international soccer star, is the favourite, ahead of Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, who withdrew from last week's presidential election after winning 73 votes to Blatter's 133 in the first round.

Chung Mong-joon, billionaire scion of South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate, said he would consider running.

Other possible candidates include Domenico Scala, the independent chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee, Jerome Champagne, a former French diplomat and FIFA deputy secretary general, and German Wolfgang Niersbach, an ex-media chief at FIFA. Former international stars Zico and Diego Maradona have also been mentioned.

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· · · ·

FBI — FBI Aviation Program: Purpose and Scope
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:17 PM

Press Releases

The FBI routinely uses aviation assets in support of predicated investigations targeting specific individuals and, when requested and appropriate, in support of state and local law enforcement.

“It should come as no surprise that the FBI uses planes to follow terrorists, spies, and serious criminals,” said FBI Deputy Director Mark F. Giuliano. “We have an obligation to follow those people who want to hurt our country and its citizens, and we will continue to do so.”

Contrary to some recent media reporting, the FBI’s aviation program is not classified. Some of our aircraft are registered covertly because overt registration would put our aircraft and operations at risk of compromise. This covert registration is done under rigorous oversight of DOJ and in full compliance with the Attorney General Guidelines and the FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide for undercover operations. The FAA is fully aware and supportive of this practice.

These aircraft are not equipped, designed, or used for bulk collection activities or mass surveillance, and are not routinely equipped with cell site simulators. With a court order, or under exigent circumstances such as a hostage situation, the aircraft can be fitted to include a cell site simulator. However, this is rarely utilized, and only with senior level approval. The FBI does not monitor lawfully protected first amendment activity.

Sen. Franken demands information from FBI on surveillance flights
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:17 PM

U.S. Sen. Al Franken on Wednesday asked for more information about government surveillance flights in cities across the country, including Minneapolis. In particular, Franken wants to know what spy technology is being used by the fleet of small planes, which are registered to fictitious companies in Virginia.

An Associated Press investigation this week definitively linked the flights, which had already drawn media and public attention, to a widespread FBI surveillance program. Scores of aircraft have been used in the program, most of them single-engine Cessnas that can remain aloft at low speed for hours.

The Star Tribune previously reported that one of the planes made several flights last month in the Twin Cities area, including at least one late at night in which it repeatedly circled downtown Minneapolis, the Mall of America and Southdale Center at low altitudes.

Franken, in his letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey, said the public needs to know more about the surveillance.

“Many Americans have been troubled by these reports, and as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, I believe it is important to ensure that these programs adequately protect Americans’ privacy while furthering public safety and national security,” Franken wrote.

Franken asked what surveillance technologies the FBI planes are using, rattling off a laundry list of spy gear including IMSI-catchers, dirtboxes and Stingrays. All are devices used to capture information from cellphones. Franken also asked the FBI to explain its use of infrared cameras and video cameras.

The letter asks for an explanation of the legal authority under which the FBI is conducting the surveillance program, and whether it’s on a case-by-case basis or under a broader authorization. “Please provide a representative sample of the applications for these court orders,” the letter states.

Franken also asked about what policies the Department of Justice has developed for the use of these devices, and the retention of data they collect.

“What safeguards are in place to ensure that innocent Americans’ privacy is protected during aerial surveillance utilizing technology that collects data and personal information?” he asked.

Franken’s letter did not specify a deadline for receiving the information. The FBI and Department of Justice did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday.

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FBI extends FIFA scrutiny to World Cup host bids of Russia, Qatar
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:16 PM

NEW YORK/ZURICH The FBI's investigation of bribery and corruption at FIFA includes scrutiny of how soccer's governing body awarded World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar, a U.S. law enforcement official said.

Authorities said last week they were investigating a case of $150 million paid in bribes over two decades, while Swiss prosecutors announced their own criminal inquiry into the 2018 and 2022 bids.

Blazer's lawyer declined to comment on Wednesday.

Many of the details were previously revealed in charging documents released by prosecutors when they announced indictments for 14 people, including nine FIFA officials.

BLATTER PRESSURE

The international police organization Interpol put two former top FIFA officials on its wanted list at the request of U.S. authorities. It issued "red notices", which are not arrest warrants, for Warner, and Nicolas Leoz, the ex-head of South America's soccer federation.

Valcke said on Wednesday he was not guilty of corrupt practice relating to the payment and he saw no reason to resign.

An election to choose a new president will probably not take place until at least December. Blatter, meanwhile, remains in his position.

LEADERSHIP CANDIDATES

Among potential candidates to lead FIFA, UEFA chief Michel Platini, a former French international soccer star, is the favorite, ahead of Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, who withdrew from last week's presidential election after winning 73 votes to Blatter's 133 in the first round.

Chung Mong-joon, billionaire scion of South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate, said he would consider running.

(This story was refiled to fix a typo in the word "approved" in paragraph 16)

(Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Grant McCool and Ian Geoghegan)

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· · · ·

FBI director tells Greens Farms grads money not true measure of success
Thursday June 4th, 2015 at 7:15 PM

Homepage Feat P Photos

From left,Class President Martin Brennan and Student Council Chair Claire Comey present the Senior Class gift during commencement exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

From left,Class President Martin Brennan and Student Council Chair...

James B. Comey, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, left, and Greens Farm Academy Head of School Janet Hartwell lead faculty and graduates into commencement exercises at the school in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

James B. Comey, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, left,...

Director James B. Comey of the Ferderal Bureau of Investigation addresses graduates and attendees of the 2015 commencement exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Director James B. Comey of the Ferderal Bureau of Investigation...

Maidson Sweedler of Westport chats with fellow graduates prior to commencement exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Maidson Sweedler of Westport chats with fellow graduates prior to...

Class salutatorian Adam Petno addresses his fellow graduates and attendees of Greens Farm Academy 2015 commencement at the school in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Class salutatorian Adam Petno addresses his fellow graduates and...

Class valedictorian Rui Aguiar addresses his fellow graduates and attendees of Greens Farm Academy 2015 commencement at the school in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Class valedictorian Rui Aguiar addresses his fellow graduates and...

Isabel Furman of Fairfield chats with fellow graduates prior to commencement exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Isabel Furman of Fairfield chats with fellow graduates prior to...

Emily Dolan of Wilton chats fellow graduates prior to commencement exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Emily Dolan of Wilton chats fellow graduates prior to commencement...

Claire Comey, center, laughs as her father, Director James B. Comey of the Ferderal Bureau of Investigation addresses graduates and attendees of the 2015 commencement exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015.

Photo: Matthew Brown

Claire Comey, center, laughs as her father, Director James B. Comey...

Director James B. Comey of the Ferderal Bureau of Investigation...

From left, Hanna Refvik of Westport and Ashley Rintoul of Darien chat prior to commencement exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

From left, Hanna Refvik of Westport and Ashley Rintoul of Darien...

Janet Hartwell, Head of School at Greens Farm Academy, welcomes attendees to the 2015 commencement exercises at the school in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Janet Hartwell, Head of School at Greens Farm Academy, welcomes...

Janet Hartwell, Head of School at Greens Farm Academy, welcomes attendees to the 2015 commencement exercises at the school in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown

Janet Hartwell, Head of School at Greens Farm Academy, welcomes...

Scenes from the 2015 Commencement Exercises at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, Conn. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Photo: Matthew Brown