DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Was the company involved in FTC charges against LabMD raided by the FBI?

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Dissent

A business whose evidence the FTC relied upon in opening an investigation of LabMD has allegedly been raided by the FBI. It’s just the latest development in a case that has now involved the FTC, DOJ, the security of Marine One, the House Oversight Committee, and a slew of businesses who were told that their data had leaked over P2P networks. 

Tuesday, an individual who uses the Twitter handle of @laserwolverine claimed that cyberintelligence firm Tiversa was raided by the FBI in Pittsburgh:

 

FBI raids #Tiversa office in downtown #Pittsburgh @PittsburghPG pic.twitter.com/xOuwPAfgrC

— laserwolf (@laserwolverine) March 1, 2016

Image by anonymous poster on Twitter claims to be of FBI vehicles involved in raid on Tiversa.
Image posted on Twitter claims to be of FBI vehicles involved in raid on Tiversa.

The poster, “Laserwolf,” has no Twitter history prior to that tweet, has not tweeted since then, and has not responded to a request from DataBreaches.net to follow for a message.  The photo appears to have been taken from inside the building, which may explain why the individual hasn’t come forward or responded to my attempt to contact him/her.

Emails to Tiversa Tuesday and Wednesday asking them to confirm or deny the alleged raid produced only a “No comment” response from spokesperson Jennifer Kelly.

The Pittsburgh FBI would only confirm that there was law enforcement activity in the area and referred this blogger to the D.C. field office, whose spokesperson would only go so far as to confirm activity in “downtown Pittsburgh,” and to say that there was no risk to public safety.  They did not anticipate releasing any statement in the near future about the matter.

Wesley Clark, who had been identified by Tiversa as being on their advisory board, did not reply to an inquiry from DataBreaches.net. Nor did one of their investors contacted by DataBreaches.net.

But why would the D.C. office of the FBI be investigating Tiversa if they did raid them Tuesday? Why D.C. and not the Pittsburgh office? Somewhere there is likely a sealed warrant that would answer those questions.

Having followed this case for almost three years, I am tempted to speculate as to why DOJ might have raided Tiversa (if they did, and Tiversa’s “no comment” is interesting as a response). I’ll save the speculation for another post, though. In the interim, I asked Michael Daugherty, CEO of LabMD, for his thoughts about the possible raid, and what he thought the FBI might be looking for. He replied:

If the FBI raided they will be searching for evidential confirmation of all allegations made by witnesses. Most witnesses are completely unknown to Tiversa and the media.

I hate being in the dark, don’t you?

Asked if a possible DOJ investigation of Tiversa would or should have any impact on FTC v. LabMD, Daugherty replied:

If the prior behavior of the FTC is any indication, they will use their power to continue to hide corruption. Nothing will change until agencies outside the FTC intervene in their charade. All the FTC does is double down as many enjoy absolute criminal immunity.  This will severly damage the reputation and integrity of the FTC, a self inflicted wound.

One would hope that if more concerns about Tiversa become public, then to the extent the FTC relied up on Tiversa at all for any investigation, they will do some internal contemplation about their methods and the need to independently investigate and verify third-party representations. Would FTC v. LabMD ever have happened if not for Tiversa? I seriously doubt it. And Tiversa may say that no one should blame them for LabMD’s error in exposing a file on a file-sharing network, but their representations and evidence to the FTC appeared critical to the genesis of the case.

If it turns out that Tiversa engaged in even more wrong-doing than has already been reported by whistleblower Rick Wallace, well…. ?

Stay tuned….

No related posts.

Category: Commentaries and AnalysesHealth DataOf NoteU.S.

Post navigation

← Follow-up: Wayne Memorial Hospital Incident
New Jersey pastor indicted for bribery in case tied to JPMorgan hacking →

3 thoughts on “Was the company involved in FTC charges against LabMD raided by the FBI?”

  1. Overdone says:
    March 3, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    Maybe call one of the other businesses in the building? I googled 606 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh and there are several others in the building other than Triversa.

    1. Dissent says:
      March 3, 2016 at 1:51 pm

      I thought of that, but they may not want to be honest about their landlord. Tiversa owns that building.

  2. Justin Shafer says:
    March 8, 2016 at 9:08 pm

    Popcorn!!!

Comments are closed.

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • India’s Max Financial says hacker accessed customer data from its insurance unit
  • Brazil’s central bank service provider hacked, $140M stolen
  • Iranian and Pro-Regime Cyberattacks Against Americans (2011-Present)
  • Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to International Fraud Scheme that Defrauded Elderly U.S. Victims
  • Nova Scotia Power Data Breach Exposed Information of 280,000 Customers
  • No need to hack when it’s leaking: Brandt Kettwick Defense edition
  • SK Telecom to be fined for late data breach report, ordered to waive cancellation fees, criminal investigation into them launched
  • Louis Vuitton Korea suffers cyberattack as customer data leaked
  • Hunters International to provide free decryptors for all victims as they shut down (2)
  • SEC and SolarWinds Seek Settlement in Securities Fraud Case

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • German court awards Facebook user €5,000 for data protection violations
  • Record-Breaking $1.55M CCPA Settlement Against Health Information Website Publisher
  • Ninth Circuit Reviews Website Tracking Class Actions and the Reach of California’s Privacy Law
  • US healthcare offshoring: Navigating patient data privacy laws and regulations
  • Data breach reveals Catwatchful ‘stalkerware’ is spying on thousands of phones
  • Google Trackers: What You Can Actually Escape And What You Can’t
  • Oregon Amends Its Comprehensive Privacy Statute

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.