Warrantless Cell Phone Seizure at Miami Airport Upheld on Appeal

A woman convicted on money laundering charges lost her Fourth Circuit appeal over the admissibility of evidence taken from her cell phone after it was seized without a warrant as she returned to the US via Miami International Airport.

Federal border agents had probable cause to believe Eunice Nkongho’s devices would contain evidence of an international fraud scheme involving sensitive military equipment when they seized the device, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said Wednesday. The government didn’t need to show there was digital contraband on the device itself.

A warrantless border search is permissible so long ...