Hernandez’s jailhouse phone calls tapped during first murder trial, authorities say
Disgraced former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez had his jailhouse phone calls tapped by an unknown person while he awaited his first-degree murder trial, according to authorities, a security breach that was never relayed to prosecutors or his current defense team.
The unauthorized access into a telephone database operated by Dallas-based Securus Technologies occurred during the summer of 2014, shortly after Hernandez was transferred to the Suffolk County House of Correction, according to authorities.
“During a routine security check, our Sheriff’s Investigative Division discovered that Securus’ telephone database had been accessed for calls relating to detainee Hernandez,” Peter Van Delft, spokesman for the Suffolk Sheriff’s Department, said in a statement. “The Department then initiated discussions with Securus officials about improving security.”
Securus told the Suffolk sheriff that “they had resolved the issue by tightening the restrictions of user access,” he added.
While the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office knew that the breach occurred, it did not tell prosecutors in either Suffolk or Bristol counties about it, according to spokesmen for both offices. Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in Bristol County in April of last year. He faces homicide charges in Suffolk County for a July 16, 2012, South End drive-by doublemurder. He is set to go on trial in Boston on Feb. 13.
Hernandez’s new defense team said it was never told of the improper access to his jailhouse calls by Suffolk Sheriff Steve Tompkins’ office.
“We had no prior knowledge of any database breach,” said Ronald Sullivan, a Harvard professor and one of Hernandez’s attorneys. “We will look into the matter further.”
Hernandez’s former defense team declined to comment.
Securus has been under fire since a 2015 story released by The Intercept, an online publication that reports on a variety of issues and often receives leaked documents. The original story chronicled a massive Securus data breach and referenced Hernandez, but never confirmed with authorities whether the former tight end was targeted. According to the story, the Suffolk sheriff’s Securus system was accessed by someone in South Dakota.
Hernandez’s phone calls were the only ones accessed during the breach, according to Van Delft, who would not say where the access came from. None of these phone calls have come up during either of Hernandez’s cases.
Securus has been sued at least once on the heels of The Intercept story, with a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing the company of improperly recording phone conversations between inmates and attorneys.
Securus did not respond to multiple requests for comment made over several days. The Suffolk Sheriff’s Department continues to use Securus’ services, according to Van Delft.