Wednesday 18th Sept

Breaking Boundaries: The FBI's Pioneering Use of Social Media in Criminal Investigations

SSA Neill and TFO Soltero will provide a case debrief of a social media driven investigation into a violent criminal street gang in Southern Arizona, with ties to Mexican Drug Cartels. The investigation involved the use of undercover Facebook and Snapchat accounts, as well as the use of Geo-Locates, Pen Register Trap and Trace Devices, and multiple federal T-III wiretaps. SSA Neill and TFO Soltero will discuss best practices as it pertains to the use of social media, specifically Facebook and Snapchat, in law enforcement investigations. They will also provide lessons learned and suggestions for overcoming common obstacles with these types of investigations. SSA Neill and TFO Soltero’s investigation was the FBI’s first use of a criminal federal T-III Snapchat wiretap, and the first of its kind in the District of Arizona. The investigation garnered a large amount of media attention, to include a Forbes article on the matter.