Defendant logged into police computers remotely

Mar 20, 2015 00:21 GMT  ·  By

An individual that was part of the auxiliary police of the New York Police Department (NYPD) has allegedly used his position to remotely access law enforcement databases without authorization, including one maintained by the FBI.

Yehuda Katz, 45, is accused of installing devices in the Traffic Safety Office of the police department that offered access to restricted information related to traffic accidents in the greater New York area, and of using the details to obtain money from those involved in the events.

An auxiliary officer is generally part of a team of community volunteers who are trained by the police to observe and report events that require the intervention of the regular police. Their main role is to patrol the neighborhood in uniforms provided by law enforcement.

Thousands of queries ran in restricted police database

One of the devices mentioned in the complaint against Katz is said to have been hooked to a computer in the Traffic Safety Office of NYPD’s 70th Precinct, enabling the defendant to control the machine from afar.

Using this method, he allegedly logged in to databases with credentials belonging to uniformed officers.

It is said that Katz ran more than 6,400 queries in the databases that returned personally identifiable information of traffic accident victims along with other details. The events were recorded between May and August 2014.

Promises of successful legal claims

Then, Katz is said to have contacted the victims pretending to be an attorney at the bogus “Katz and Katz law firm” and claiming he could assist with potential legal claims.

“I can advise you with 100% confidence that I can resolve this claim in your favor,” and “My fee is 14% only when you collect. And I know that you will collect,” read some of the letters sent by the defendant to victims.

The details on the further steps the defendant may have taken to carry out the scam and obtain illegal profit have not been provided.

Another electronic device mentioned in the complaint to have been used by Katz was a hidden camera that featured the possibility of live-streaming images across the web. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.