Justice Department Charges Samuel Tunick Over 2025 Border Phone Wipe
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 24
Justice Department Charges Samuel Tunick Over 2025 Border Phone Wipe
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 24
Summary
Federal prosecutors accused Atlanta resident Samuel Tunick of using a GrapheneOS duress passcode that erased his phone when border agents entered it during a January 24, 2025 inspection at Atlanta airport.
The indictment appears to be the first known U.S. case charging someone for destroying data via a built-in duress password, using a federal law that bars damaging property to prevent seizure.
Tunick has pleaded not guilty and moved to suppress the evidence, arguing Customs and Border Protection unlawfully detained him, denied him a lawyer and seized the phone without a warrant.
His lawyers say agents cited suspected child-exploitation imagery as a pretext and were really investigating his ties to Defend the Atlanta Forest, the movement opposing Atlanta's 'Cop City' project.
The case spotlights the government's claim that travelers' devices can be searched before formal entry into the United States, with an Atlanta federal court expected to rule on suppression later this year.