Law Enforcement Seizes Devices as Part of Probe Into Voter Data Theft
Law enforcement officers two days after the Nov. 3 election served a search warrant on a home in Arizona and took computers and other items as part of a probe into the theft of voter data.
The warrant said officers were seeking to seize all computers, tablets, and other electronic devices that could be used as a means to commit violations of federal law prohibiting computer intrusion and conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.
The seized devices would then be searched for records relating to such violations, which allegedly occurred between Oct. 21 and Nov. 4.
Investigators were searching for information relating to login credentials, accounts, or other access to computer networks at an unidentified office, as well as voter registration records.
Officials also sought records relating to unauthorized access of the office’s website and computer systems.
According to another document filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, officers seized computers, hard drives, memory cards, and a bag of USBs.
The items were seized from a home belonging to Elliott Kerwin, an IT professional for a company called Desert Oasis Technology. He previously worked for a business called Loon-A-Tech, according to a resume, and was at one time a technology administrator for the city Ashland, Wisconsin, and an information systems specialist for the city of Des Plaines, Illinois.
The websites for Loon-A-Tech and Desert Oasis Technology were offline as of Monday morning, as were Kerwin’s social media accounts.
An email sent to the address listed on Kerwin’s resume bounced back.
There’s no indication Kerwin is facing charges at this time.
The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office told news outlets that county IT staff found that an unauthorized individual gathered publicly accessible voter information from the office’s website.
“Additional security controls were put in place to mitigate against this activity occurring in the future. The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office has reported this to proper authorities and law enforcement personnel, and there is an ongoing investigation by the FBI at this time. The FBI informed our office today they served a warrant,” a spokeswoman told outlets.
An FBI spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: “The FBI neither confirms nor denies the existence of any investigation.”
The recorder’s office didn’t return an inquiry.
Forbes first reported the warrant and its execution.
According to a police report obtained by the publication, Kerwin was investigated by police over spoof emails sent out just ahead of a local election in 2011.
Kerwin initially said he didn’t know who sent the emails but eventually said he sent the emails, posing as a resident and a former council member.
Maricopa County is the largest county in Arizona, with a population of some 4.4 million.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden edged President Donald Trump in the county, receiving about 45,000 more votes, according to a county vote count.
Biden won the state by under 11,000 votes, according to Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’s office.
Trump and his campaign have contested the results, citing alleged irregularities.
The Epoch Times isn’t calling Arizona or the presidential race at this time.
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