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SBC telco subscriber information (undefined) loss
From: dano <dano () well com>
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 22:36:17 -0800
Found (and deeply buried) in a recent story (6 Feb 2006) in the Los Angeles Times about a slimy Hollywood private investigator who has been indicted for conspiracy, explosives and wiretapping is a bit that two telco employees who assisted the guy may have leaked some amount (undefined) of subscriber (undefined) information (also undefined). Only slightly more prominent in the story are statements that some of the guy's co-conspirators - cops and retired cops - also mined LAPD, California Dept of Motor Vehicles and possibly other LE databases for information about the targets. While this story is not about general or widespread consumer data loss or even large numbers of people - the thieves apparently only targeted specific people in a specific local area and industry niche - it seems relevant to the larger theme of dataloss. Also shows how a few insiders with access (two cops, two telco employees) can provide considerable confidential information with apparent ease. (Would be nice to know how much they were paid - "the cost of subversion" so to speak.) Also interesting is how the co-conspirators were allowed to remain free for 2.5 years while the main conspirator was in prison on (other but related) explosives charges. <http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-020606pellicano_lat,0,5795984.story?coll=la-home-headlines> (Note that the LAT hides their stories behind a pay-for wall after a few days. If you want to see the story then get it now. Subscription required, but bugmenot will probably provide a useful login.) --begin story-- From the Los Angeles Times Pellicano Indicted on Racketeering Charges By Andrew Blankstein and Greg Krikorian Times Staff Writers 2:45 PM PST, February 6, 2006 After a three-year investigation that frayed nerves in Hollywood, celebrity private eye Anthony Pellicano and six others were charged today with racketeering and conspiracy to obtain confidential and embarrassing information about dozens of individuals. Pellicano, who pleaded not guilty to the 110-count federal indictment that was unsealed this morning, had just finished serving 30 months in prison on federal charges for storing explosives in his West Hollywood office. He remained in custody. At one time, Pellicano's roster of clients stretched from Michael Jackson to Elizabeth Taylor and Sylvester Stallone. He was the go-to detective for information needed by lawyers and agents representing entertainment A-listers. Pellicano, 61, is charged with organizing and masterminding a corrupt enterprise that allegedly wiretapped phones, entered private computers without authorization, committed wire fraud, bribery, identity theft and obstruction of justice. Pellicano and his associates, including former LAPD Officer Mark Arneson, 52, allegedly tapped Stallone and accessed confidential police records to learn about prominent people, including comedians Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon, New York Times reporter Bernard Weinraub and former Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch, according to the 60-page indictment. "Defendant Pellicano was responsible for securing clients who were willing and able to pay large sums for the purpose of obtaining personal information of a confidential, embarrassing, or incriminating nature regarding other individuals, including opponents or witnesses in criminal or civil litigation who became the enterprise's investigative charges," the indictment alleged. "We take these [charges] very seriously," acting U.S. Atty. George S. Cardona said at an afternoon news conference. "This is not how most private investigators do their job." The indictment alleges a range of crimes with the participants playing a variety of roles: Arneson, of Culver City, was a 29-year veteran of the LAPD. He surrendered to authorities this morning, according to prosecutors. Arneson is accused of illegally searching law enforcement computers to get information for Pellicano, who allegedly paid the officer for his work. Also surrendering was Rayford Earl Turner, 49, of Van Nuys, a former field technician for SBC and Pacific Bell. Pellicano and Turner were accused in the wiretapping conspiracy. Kevin Kachikian, 41, of Fountain Valley, was accused of developing a wiretapping software program called "Telesleuth" for Pellicano. He was arrested this morning by the FBI. Robert Pfeifer, 50, of Hollywood, once president of Disney-owned Hollywood Records, allegedly hired Pellicano to investigate a former girlfriend. Pfeifer was arrested Friday. Abner Nicherie, 42, of Las Vegas was arrested this morning. According to authorities, he was involved in a business dispute with a man who was wiretapped. Also charged was Daniel Nicherie, 45, of Las Vegas, Abner's brother, who was in federal custody on charges of defrauding the man whom Pellicano allegedly wiretapped. The wiretapping conspiracy charge alleged that Pellicano, with the help of Turner and Kachikian, illegally intercepted telephone communications of a number of individuals, including real estate developer Robert Maguire, Herbalife co-founder Mark Hughes, Stallone and journalist Busch. In addition to the conspiracy charge, Pellicano, Turner and Kachikian are charged in nine wiretapping counts. Pellicano and Kachikian are additionally charged with possessing illegal wiretapping equipment. Pfeifer and the Nicherie brothers were each charged with one wiretapping count. Not charged in the indictment was former Beverly Hills police Officer Craig Stevens, who has already pleaded guilty. Arneson and Stevens are alleged to have provided Pellicano with confidential DMV and criminal history information. Turner and fellow SBC employee Teresa Wright, who also has pleaded guilty, are said to have provided confidential information on telephone company subscribers. Pellicano had been in federal custody at the Taft Correctional Institute in Bakersfield until Friday, when he was moved to the San Bernardino County Jail to await today's arraignment. Today's charges are an outgrowth of a bizarre threat made against former Times reporter Busch in 2002. Busch walked out to her car one morning and discovered a dead fish, a rose and a sign that read "Stop" on the hood. An informant led investigators to an ex-convict named Alexander Proctor, who, during a secretly recorded conversation, claimed that Pellicano had paid him to carry out the threat. The FBI subsequently raided Pellicano's Sunset Boulevard offices and allegedly recovered computerized records and other evidence that the detective had illegally wiretapped people on behalf of clients. Three weeks ago, Pellicano's former girlfriend, Sandra Will Carradine, and Stevens, the former Beverly Hills police officer, pleaded guilty to federal charges of lying about the detective's use of wiretaps and other illegal tactics. Both are scheduled for sentencing in the fall. Pellicano also faces state charges in connection with the 2002 threat against the reporter. Pfeifer, 50, was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, sources close to the investigation said. In court documents, Pfeifer's estranged wife said he was a longtime friend of Pellicano and had known for two years that he was a subject of the investigation into the detectives' activities. As part of a custody battle, Maria Misejova Pfeifer filed a sworn declaration alleging that Pfeifer had fled to Canada in September because he believed that an indictment was imminent. Because of Pfeifer's "investigation by the FBI and his affiliation with Mr. Pellicano," Pfeifer "has contemplated and threatened to flee the jurisdiction in the past," she said in her Jan. 16 declaration. A former musician and producer, Pfeifer was a member of the early 1980s band Human Switchboard, which recorded an album for I.R.S. Records, according to published reports. He was president of Hollywood Records from 1994 to 1997. Before joining the Disney company, he worked as an artist and repertoire executive at Epic Records, a division of Sony. In 2000, he founded the multimedia company Segnana Inc. Pellicano's new attorney, Steven Gruel, said Saturday that Pellicano would not testify against others, including former clients. "It is my firm belief that Mr. Pellicano is adamant in his determination not to cooperate with the federal prosecution," Gruel said. Contributing to this report were Times staff writers Michael Muskal and Chuck Philips, and research librarian Robin Mayper. --end story-- _______________________________________________ Dataloss mailing list Dataloss () attrition org https://attrition.org/mailman/listinfo/dataloss
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