Since we’ve discovered that the NSA was essentially reading all our bad jokes about Game of Thrones, it’s been wondered how long it would be before the public would start demanding more accountability for the data. Not long, as it turns out, but it’s not a civil rights activist or a lawmaker. It’s a man currently on trial for bank robbery in Florida.
Terrance Brown is accused of being part of a ring of thieves that struck armored cars in the South Florida area. It’s fairly ugly as a case: One of the accused is already serving a life sentence for confessing to killing a guard. Needless to say, if Brown is convicted, he’s staring down a very, very long time in Florida prison, which we’re assuming is worse than regular prison because, come on, this is Florida.
Brown insists his cell phone records will prove he wasn’t near the scene of the crime, but unfortunately, he has MetroPCS, and they don’t keep records that far back, at least according to the prosecution. But as we know, someone else kept those records!
[Brown’s attorney Marshall Dore] Louis argued in court Wednesday that the government should be forced to turn over phone location records for two cellphones Brown may have used because it could prove he was not present for one of the attempted bank robberies, on July 26 on Federal Highway in Lighthouse Point.
Louis has a fairly good point: The program has been going on since at least 2006, so the government is more likely to have the data in their files… and actually may be legally obligated to fork that information over, depending on who you ask.
It might be a sincere attempt to clear his client, or it might be the single most audacious delaying tactic a lawyer has ever employed. Either way, we’ve got to salute the pair of stones it takes to do this. Although we hope he doesn’t have any skeletons hiding in the closet, because now the NSA is totally looking at his Facebook.