The FBI Mysteriously Close New Mexico Observatory

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,911
3,195
146
Well, here's the explanation: https://www.space.com/41852-sunspot-solar-observatory-opening-after-criminal-investigation.html

"AURA has been cooperating with an ongoing law enforcement investigation of criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak," AURA representatives wrote in a statement Sunday (Sept. 16). "During this time, we became concerned that a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents. For this reason, AURA temporarily vacated the facility and ceased science activities at this location."

Who's buying it?

"We recognize that the lack of communications while the facility was vacated was concerning and frustrating for some," Sunday's AURA statement added. "However, our desire to provide additional information had to be balanced against the risk that, if spread at the time, the news would alert the suspect and impede the law enforcement investigation. That was a risk we could not take."

You would think that the complete evacuation of the site might have alerted the suspect. Just sayin'.

So no explanation as to who they were investigating, why they were investigating them, or what the threat was. That is a waste of words, not an answer to anyone's questions.

Imagine if you could answer questions like this:
"Johny, what is the capital of Utah?"
"Well Mrs. Dumfok, the capital of Utah is a city that has streets and people living in it!"
"Great answer Johny, A+!"
 

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
https://www.abqjournal.com/1222935/...sure-sparked-by-child-porn-investigation.html

Flew in a Blackhawk and evacuated the area for a few days because the janitor was looking at kid porn.

giphy.gif
 

PottedMeat

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
12,365
475
126

such a lame ending

at least the janitor's story is funny

The chief observer told agents that only one person had access to the facility around the time of the child porn being accessed: a janitor who started working at the facility a year ago and cleans for a couple of hours a day. The janitor’s parents own the janitorial contract for the observatory.

Agents say the janitor has a key and “unlimited access” to the building.

According to the search warrant, agents seized the laptop.

Agents say that when the janitor returned the next morning, unaware of the seizure, he claimed to be “missing some cleaning supplies” and asked if anyone had been in the office.

The chief observer told agents the janitor began complaining about “lax security” at the facility and claimed someone was breaking into the facility at night to steal internet service and toilet paper.

As time went on, agents say the janitor’s actions grew increasingly “frantic” and he continually approached the chief observer with questions and comments about missing items.

“(The janitor) had continued to look feverishly through the facility and continued to make comments about the lax security,” an agent wrote in the search warrant.


Agents say the janitor mentioned that decoy security cameras “were a joke” and it was only “a matter of time” until the facility “got hit.”
 

Ventanni

Golden Member
Jul 25, 2011
1,432
142
106
I don't know the exact details, but the FBI was probably involved in this case because the observatory is located on federally owned land where only federal law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction. The Sunspot Solar Observatory is located within federal National Forest Service lands, which would fall under the Department of Agriculture. Law enforcement would then go to the US Forest Service Law Enforcement agency, but due to the nature of the crime (cyber related), they may not have been equipped to handle it, and it went to the FBI.

Hence the black hawks, men in suits, and lots of spectacular theatrics. But, it makes sense. The janitor committed a cyber crime on federal property, and the agency best equipped to handle that would be the FBI.
 

Humpy

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2011
4,463
596
126
Child porn is a pretty decent cover story. Most people won't have the stomach to question it without fear of looking like a creep.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OutHouse

Ventanni

Golden Member
Jul 25, 2011
1,432
142
106
Don't get so caught up in potential conspiracies that you miss the obvious. If this was a matter of national security involving outer space or a secret government satellite, it would not be the FBI that handled the matter. Jurisdiction in that case would fall under the military, probably the Air Force. Everything regarding why the FBI handled this case makes sense:
  • The observatory sits on federally owned land where state and local law enforcement doesn't have jurisdiction.
  • The FBI does have jurisdiction on federally owned lands.
  • The crime is cyber related, and doesn't fit the specialty of the US Forest Service Law Enforcement agency.
  • The crime is a specialty of the FBI.
  • The FBI doesn't have offices everywhere, so transport by helicopter makes sense, especially to the top of a mountain.
  • As with any child pornography case, your place is going to be gutted, so it would make sense that the agents were climbing the transmission towers to confirm the source of the transmission. This is a top of a mountain, after all. The only source of internet is going to be over air wave, not fiber optic line lol.
Just sayin', if it were some super secret satellite, UFO related activity that the government wanted to keep quiet, or a spy plane the air force wanted to keep under wraps, it would not be the FBI handling the case. It would be another unknown agency, and it would be a hell of a lot more discrete than flying in with black hawks, shutting down a site, and taping off all access. It would be super quiet, super discrete, and absolutely no one would know about it.
 

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,911
3,195
146
  • As with any child pornography case, your place is going to be gutted, so it would make sense that the agents were climbing the transmission towers to confirm the source of the transmission. This is a top of a mountain, after all. The only source of internet is going to be over air wave, not fiber optic line lol.

Why would you need to climb a tower to confirm the source of someone's internet connection?
 

madoka

Diamond Member
Jun 22, 2004
4,344
712
121
Hence the black hawks, men in suits, and lots of spectacular theatrics. But, it makes sense. The janitor committed a cyber crime on federal property, and the agency best equipped to handle that would be the FBI.

Yeah, just like the time the Feds came in Blackhawk helicopters to shut down Anandtech, arrest Anand, and confiscate AT's servers because Waggy posted here. That makes complete sense. o_O
 

Thebobo

Lifer
Jun 19, 2006
18,592
7,673
136
Don't get so caught up in potential conspiracies that you miss the obvious. If this was a matter of national security involving outer space or a secret government satellite, it would not be the FBI that handled the matter. Jurisdiction in that case would fall under the military, probably the Air Force. Everything regarding why the FBI handled this case makes sense:
  • The observatory sits on federally owned land where state and local law enforcement doesn't have jurisdiction.
  • The FBI does have jurisdiction on federally owned lands.
  • The crime is cyber related, and doesn't fit the specialty of the US Forest Service Law Enforcement agency.
  • The crime is a specialty of the FBI.
  • The FBI doesn't have offices everywhere, so transport by helicopter makes sense, especially to the top of a mountain.
  • As with any child pornography case, your place is going to be gutted, so it would make sense that the agents were climbing the transmission towers to confirm the source of the transmission. This is a top of a mountain, after all. The only source of internet is going to be over air wave, not fiber optic line lol.
Just sayin', if it were some super secret satellite, UFO related activity that the government wanted to keep quiet, or a spy plane the air force wanted to keep under wraps, it would not be the FBI handling the case. It would be another unknown agency, and it would be a hell of a lot more discrete than flying in with black hawks, shutting down a site, and taping off all access. It would be super quiet, super discrete, and absolutely no one would know about it.

Your probably right but if they obviously have power up there so there is no reason you can't run a fiber cable up there as well.
 

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,911
3,195
146
Aliens, bro. Aliens.

I really doubt aliens forced you to try to explain something you don't understand. I find that is usually caused by over-inflated view of ones own intelligence. But maybe it was aliens, I guess I can't be sure.
 

Darwin333

Lifer
Dec 11, 2006
19,946
2,328
126
I'm sorry but the FBI doesn't chopper in, close down a multi-million dollar observatory, shut down an entire post office, climb antennas, etc... all to catch a janitor downloading kiddy porn. They could have just driven up, walked a guy in there and arrested the guy.
 

Artorias

Platinum Member
Feb 8, 2014
2,106
1,380
136
I'm sorry but the FBI doesn't chopper in, close down a multi-million dollar observatory, shut down an entire post office, climb antennas, etc... all to catch a janitor downloading kiddy porn. They could have just driven up, walked a guy in there and arrested the guy.

Yeah it does not pass the smell test.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OutHouse

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
I'm sorry but the FBI doesn't chopper in, close down a multi-million dollar observatory, shut down an entire post office, climb antennas, etc... all to catch a janitor downloading kiddy porn. They could have just driven up, walked a guy in there and arrested the guy.

One thing that makes it make sense:
They "evacuated" the facility (read: told everyone to go home, it's closed) but the janitor service kept up. They likely wanted to isolate the activity, lock down the source of traffic to the only user anywhere nearby.
Climbing transmission towers may have to do with said isolation efforts, and/or confirming there had not been any tampering (basically high-tech internet theft)
Never underestimate the willingness of federal agencies to make whatever excuse possible to ride in by air if they can remotely justify the expense. Nearest FBI post could well have been far enough away that not only is the as-the-crow-flies distance significant, but add in mountain terrain... sounds like a perfect excuse for a helicopter.

Sounds extravagant for a lone child porn offender, but it could very well lead to additional arrests (if he was sharing, they might have been able to find others...), and it could also just be a perfect combination of environment-specific variables that made it seem excessive from the outside.

However - I really want the story to be something more! But I just can't see it being necessary to explain this based on the facts at this time.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
I'm sorry but the FBI doesn't chopper in, close down a multi-million dollar observatory, shut down an entire post office, climb antennas, etc... all to catch a janitor downloading kiddy porn. They could have just driven up, walked a guy in there and arrested the guy.

This is the janitor that shot JFK.

just saying.
 

TXHokie

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 1999
2,557
173
106
Nice try with the media cover story. I’m gonna stick with aliens or stargate. Movie coming out in 2020.
 

FeuerFrei

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2005
9,152
928
126
My guess: They were pretty certain it was the janitor. They shut down the place without telling him, probably. So he comes by at the normal hour, alone, and engages in some criminal activity when the FBI is certain no one else is in the building. Allowing them to indict him unequivocally.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WelshBloke

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,911
3,195
146
See if someone had set up a cantenna and was leeching the internet there?

By the story that came out they already new it was the janitor. Did they really think a janitor would know how to do that? Dude cleans up piss for a living.

I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, but this is one bizarre story.