Federal Agencies Asked Banks to Search Customer Data for Capitol Riot Indicators Without Warrants After January 6th
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Federal investigators asked banks to search for terms like "TRUMP" and "MAGA" in customer data after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) distributed materials outlining persons of interest and search terms to banks.
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FinCEN passed along analysis of "extremism" indicators for banks to identify suspects, including travel and purchases of books/media with extremist views.
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FinCEN instructed banks to search for firearm-related purchases and stores despite no apparent criminal nexus.
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The FBI requested Bank of America search customer data for certain purchases without legal process, and the bank provided info on 211 people, with only 1 questioned and none arrested.