Opinion ID: 3037925
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Extortion Scheme2

Text: 1 The FBI agents engaged in multiple searches and seizures here. First, FBI agents searched Adjani’s residence. During the course of this search, the agents seized Reinhold’s and Adjani’s computers. Then, at the FBI computer lab, agents searched Reinhold’s computer for evidence of the alleged extortion. Finally, the agents seized the three e-mails forming the basis of this appeal. For purposes of our analysis, however, we collapse the first three events into one, generally referring to it as the “search” of Reinhold’s computer. As for the last event, we refer to it as the “seizure” of e-mail communications. 2 The following factual summary is based entirely on the FBI affidavit presented to, and relied upon by, the magistrate judge in support of the FBI’s request for an arrest warrant for Adjani and a search warrant for various premises. UNITED STATES v. ADJANI 7583 Adjani was once employed by Paycom Billing Services Inc. (formerly Epoch), which facilitates payments from Internet users to its client websites. As a payment facilitator, Paycom receives and stores vast amounts of data containing credit card information. On January 8, 2004, a woman (later identified as Reinhold) delivered envelopes to three Paycom partners, Christopher Mallick, Clay Andrews and Joel Hall. Each envelope contained a letter from Adjani advising that he had purchased a copy of Paycom’s database containing its clients’ sensitive financial information. The letter threatened that Adjani would sell the Paycom database and master client control list if he did not receive $3 million. To prove his threats were real, Adjani included samples of the classified data. He directed the Paycom partners to sign an enclosed agreement attesting to the proposed quid pro quo and fax it back to him by January 12. The letter included Adjani’s email address, cadjani@mac.com, and a fax number. Agents later learned that Adjani’s email address was billed to Reinhold’s account. Evidence suggested that Adjani left Los Angeles on January 9, 2004, and ultimately ended up in Zurich, Switzerland. From Switzerland, Adjani sent an email on January 12 to Joel Hall to confirm that Hall and the others had received the envelopes. Adjani followed up on this email on January 13 by instructing Hall to contact him through AOL/Mac iChat instant messaging if he wanted to discuss the settlement agreement. With the FBI monitoring, Hall conversed several times with Adjani on the Internet and over the telephone. In spite of Adjani’s insistence that he remain overseas, Hall convinced him to come to Los Angeles on January 26 to pick up $2.5 million in exchange for the database. Adjani returned to Los Angeles on January 22, under FBI surveillance. Reinhold, driving in a car that the FBI had earlier identified as Adjani’s, was observed leaving Adjani’s residence in Venice, California, picking him up from the airport and returning to his residence. The FBI also observed Rein7584 UNITED STATES v. ADJANI hold using an Apple computer, the same brand of computer Adjani used to email and chat with Paycom.