Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Broward County State Attorney’s Office of the 17th Judicial Circuit Demonstrate How Investments, Training, and Support Can Yield Digital Investigative Excellence—Even In Short Timeframes
“Our job would be way more difficult without Cellebrite. We use some form of a Cellebrite product in nearly every case submitted to our unit.” – Jim KempVanEe of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO)
We spoke to two law enforcement professionals, Jim KempVanEe of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) and Assistant State Attorney from the 17th Judicial Circuit, in and for Broward County Florida, Pascale Achille, about the following case studies.
Relevant Broward County Demographics
In recent years, the Broward Sheriff’s Office has made significant strides in the realm of digital forensics. With a workforce of more than 5,500 dedicated professionals and a service population of over 2 million residents. , the agency created a formal Digital Forensics Unit (DFU) in 2018, to contend with the increased workload in this arena.
BSO Digital Forensics Unit: The Critical Role of Mobile Device Forensics in Modern Investigations
The Broward Sheriff’s Office created a formal Digital Forensics Unit (DFU) in 2018, to contend with the increased workload in this arena. Spearheading the creation of this transformative unit was Jim KempVanEe, who was appointed to lead the developing team. Reflecting on the journey, he noted, “Initially, digital forensics within this agency was focused on ICAC investigations…. BSO provides critical service for not only our organization but many other law enforcement agencies in the county. The need for us to expand to provide mobile device forensics was a critical step for public safety and having the right tools at our disposal was an absolute necessity.”
From just three employees, BSO has since expanded the DFU to a team of 11 highly skilled professionals. The exponential growth has been accompanied by a substantial increase in caseload. In 2022, the agency handled an impressive 1,300 digital devices, a stark contrast to the 270 devices processed in 2017. The unit currently lawfully leverages and uses a combination of Cellebrite services.
Jim added, “Our agency’s initial investment for this expansion was the triggering event that got us to where we are today…. Another key step in our success was improving the communication between detectives, prosecutors and examiners. Our teams communicate early and often, which allows the forensic examiners the ability to provide detectives and prosecutors with context into what the digital evidence means and how it may affect their legal and investigative theories. Their feedback also provides my team with relevant information so they can focus their time and efforts on what is most relevant to the case.”
The exponential growth in cases involving DFU stands as a testament to Broward County’s commitment to digital forensics. The results of this commitment are proudly showcased in the following case studies.
State v. Michael Boatwright, et. al. (a/k/a Triple XXX Murder Case)
Broward County Court Case No. 18-008318CF10A; 18-008640CF10A; 18-007440CF10A; & 18-008641CF10A
“One morning in 2018, we had a famous rap artist who went to the bank and withdrew a large sum of. He had $50,000 in a satchel and headed straight to Reva Motorsports, a retail store which sells all kinds of watercraft and motorcycles,” Broward County prosecutor Pascale Achille recalled. “As he was leaving, a vehicle cut him off and four people ambushed him. The rapper was robbed at gunpoint of his jewelry and cash. The suspects could have robbed him and flee from the scene, but instead, they shot the victim close range three times in the neck and head.”
The perpetrators were masked and unnamed at that point, and as they fled, it was a race against time to track down the getaway vehicle—a rented minivan. Luck struck two hours later when one of the four perpetrators got into an accident in said vehicle and was quickly linked to the murder based on surveillance footage. Three additional arrests followed in the coming months.
With the arrests came three suspect devices containing a wealth of potential digital evidence. At the time, the suspects plead innocent on the basis that Broward County rushed the investigation. Additional evidence—beyond the photos from the suspect’s phone boasting about the robbery and online searches for ‘accessory to murder’—was needed to strengthen the case against them.
When Prosecutor Achille inherited the case, she requested a re-examination of the devices, this time with improved solutions from Cellebrite. “We had three devices, re-processed everything, and ended up with tons of evidence. What we got from Cellebrite made a difference in identifying who was involved. We were able to get GPS data, which is more precise and accurate than third-party cell phone records,” said Prosecutor Achille.
“The Cellebrite extraction also let us see that one of the suspects had connected their phone via Bluetooth to the rental minivan,” Achille added. This would become one of the key pieces of evidence—along with the GPS location data—that cemented the case against the perpetrators.”
A successful re-examination by Jim KempVanEe and his team was completed in record time. “All the stuff we did for the case was done in a week and a half.” Jim quipped. He also went on to testify at trial. . “We had the right tools, and we were successful. This case highlights the value of the tools, the team and the process itself.”
The four perpetrators have since been incarcerated – three of them for life.
State v. Jason Browdy
Broward County Court Case No. 19-002755CF10A
Another major case where re-examinations by updated solutions—and ‘having the proper people with the proper training’ as KempVanEe puts it—yielded breakthrough results for Broward County involves a man who shot his pregnant wife in 2015. “The husband called 911 and hung-up. During the 911 call-back he claims he accidentally shot his pregnant wife while she was sleeping. He said he heard a prowler and got his gun from under his pillow. Our deputies got there and found her barely clinging to life.” KempVanEe said. Investigators found discrepancies with the husband’s claims, including the gunshot wounds, and he was subsequently arrested and held without bond.
Five years later, when Prosecutor Pascale inherited the case, both the prosecutor and digital forensics supervisor were interested in what could be salvaged from the two wiped phones recovered from the home to hit a solid conviction. After re-examinations, “The team was able to recover voicemails from the husband’s phone that had been previously overlooked,” KempVanEe clarified.
The voicemails revealed a clear picture that showed a loveless marriage and fear of infidelity. Investigators used the information to establish a motive and strengthen the case against the husband. However, to obtain a guilty verdict, there was one last hurdle—getting the jury to understand all this.
With the Cellebrite extractions leading to new revelations, they were able to construct a timeframe lining up when the 911 call was made and the husband wiping the wife’s phone.
To help the jury picture the scenario, “We created a demonstrative aid where Jim filmed himself wiping the phone, and on another split screen, we played the actual 911 call. The husband never helped her, never even touched her. He was in the room with her, deleting her phone while she was laying there. The jury could see and hear what was happening,” Prosecutor Pascale said.
As the prosecutor recalls, “You could hear a pin drop, that’s how dramatic that testimony was. And to this day—and I mean it—it was chilling.”
The husband was ultimately found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder.
Broward County’s continuous commitment to digital forensics working in synergy with investigative and prosecuting counterparts has led to swifter case resolutions, but has also paid off in other ways.
State v. Ernest Gordon
Broward County Court Case No. 21-011587CF10A
“A young lady was reported missing by her husband. The husband said she left and never came home. Our investigators decided to use Timing Advance (TA) from cell providers to track her phone’s location history,” KempVanEe recounted. The results led investigators to a rural highway in a remote area of the Florida Everglades. “That’s when we began considering we would probably be looking for a body,” Jim said. The husband was subsequently held without bond and a search effort was sent out.
KempVanEe recalled, “We had 10 to 20 acres of swamp land we were going to be searching by foot, buggy and helicopter – and that gets very expensive.” However, surveillance footage showed the husband was in the area, a fact corroborated by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer who was discovered to have had conducted a traffic stop on the man for entering a restricted construction area. “FWC was having problems with illegal trash dumping in the area, and at this point, no one had been reported missing and the suspect was not wanted for anything. The FWC officer saw several trash bags in the back of the truck, snapped a photograph of the items, warned about trash dumping and released him. That photograph became very important to our investigation – turns out one of those bags contained our victim,” KempVanEe said. “Technology was extremely helpful in this case. The victim’s phone led us to the video and the video led us to the FWC traffic stop and photograph. We were able to call off the impending search of the Everglades which sped up the investigation and saved the agency a lot of money.”
Detectives eventually found the victim’s body along with her phone. “The victim’s phone was in a field, exposed to the Florida elements for over a month. We were able to use the tools BSO had invested in and successfully brought this phone back to life,” KempVanEe said. “We cracked the PIN code and got a full extraction. The examination of the phone showed when the victim’s phone connected to the home Wi-Fi and when it disconnected the night she was murdered. The evidence contradicted the suspect’s statements. The suspect was charged with murder ultimately admitting to killing his wife with a hammer. From the time he was charged, to the time he pled guilty, was only a few months. I have no doubt the technological evidence was a key factor in that decision,” KempVanEe said.
In his telling of the case, he reiterated, “It was the digital evidence and good collaboration that carved a swifter path to justice for the victim and helped keep the cost down.”
Conclusion
Broward Sheriff’s Office has shown that organizations embracing the trifecta for digital intelligence excellence can still gain an upper hand, not only moving forward but also when looking back. Closures can be brought upon years-old cases and newly optimized processes can mean greater savings in both time and resources—accelerating justice.
In closing, KempVanEe reflects on his experience with Cellebrite, “We have an amazing story here – from where we were only a few years ago, to where we are now, and more importantly where we’re going. Technology is not going away, and our organization has really embraced that.”
The forgoing information and case studies are not to be interpretated as the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s endorsement, guaranty or warranty of any product or service and the direct quoted statements contained herein are of the speaker’s own personal professional opinions.
