Judge denies Arizona attorney general's request for Western Union's data

Source: The Arizona Republic

Judge denies Arizona attorney general's request for Western Union's data

Michael Kiefer
The Arizona Republic
May. 19, 2007 12:33 PM

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled that the Arizona Attorney General's Office may not force Western Union and two affiliates to turn over electronic data on wires transfers made to and from Nevada and Sonora, Mexico.

The Attorney General's Office wants the data to look for trends and money flows that will help them spot drug and human smugglers who use the companies' wire transfer services.

But in a ruling published Friday, Judge Kenneth Fields said that the request was overly broad, especially considering the amount of personal data of innocent people that would be turned over. The request, he wrote, was "unreasonable" because for the most part it was "without connection to a specific criminal investigation." He also said the Attorney General's Office had no jurisdiction to gather information on business conducted in Mexico and Nevada without an Arizona link.

The Attorney General's Office wanted Western Union to turn over the information on a regular basis. Western Union's attorney, Steven Wheeless said that was like "trying to force Western Union to be a subsidiary of the AG's Office, and Judge Fields said, 'no.' "

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0519westernunion-ON.html

who has a long history in this state going back with generations of service in his family.

He is trying to do something about the illegal immigration problem (that has some drug issues involved) in a way that shows he is doing something yet not going too far. So maybe you should find out more about someone before you judge them.

But if there is no Arizona link, then what the judge did was appropriate. It sounds like it was a fishing expedition and they were hoping to find a connection.

If he can show a link to a specific crime that was committed in Arizona, and get a narrower focus instead of just trying to throw a net and hoping to come up with something, then more power to him.

how do you do something about something but not really do anything about it?

According to Fields' ruling, the Attorney General's Office subpoenaed Western Union and two affiliated companies, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, to produce databases of wire transfers in excess of $300 to and from Nevada and Sonora, Mexico.

"We call it a fishing expedition, they call it data mining," Wheeless said.

But Holmes also interpreted the ruling as only applying to those specific subpoenas.

"Ultimately we'll get the data we need," he said.

I thought all those Western Union signs in both English and Spanish were to send money to Spain or Puerto Rico.
Who would imagine that Mexicans working in the US might wish to send money to Mexico or that Mexican-Americans might wish to send money to their relatives back on the southern side of the border.
We had better check out Maine and NH as well. There are a lot of suspiciously French names floating out there Down East, and I suspect that they might be from NB or Quebec. Obvious drug dealers.
:sarcasm:

It's just disturbing that this seems to be the exception nowdays. But every precedent will lead to more now that the country is recovering its senses.

and have wired thousands over the last couple of years--OF HIS OWN MONEY.

FUCK THESE PHONY PRICKS AND THEIR PHONY "WAR ON TERROR" AND THEIR BIGOTED, XENOPHOBIC BULLSHIT HATRED OF "ILLEGALS"

I HATE ALL OF THEM.

on edit: to clarify, "them" is THEM, the slimeballs that think they can "interpret" wire transfers to mean something more than people simply taking care of each other.

The Arizona paper you are linking is a rw rag.

If Terry Goddard is wanting to work with Western Union, I am sure he is doing it for good reason.

The judge has got to be an asshat. If Terry were a repuke he would have been given the data . Why is it the govt can have all my info but the AG can't track money to Mexico? Please.

I see you.

BUT, since he's one of ours, it's all probably for "good intentions."
Good on that judge for standing up for civil liberties.

This is not partisan.The judge is a jerk!