Federal Warrants Sought to Deploy Stingray Tracker on Don Lemon's Producer

Federal agents secured warrants permitting the use of a cell-site simulator—often called a Stingray—to pinpoint the phone of Jerome Richardson, a 21-year-old who assisted Don Lemon in reporting an anti-ICE demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul. The warrants were signed on Jan. 30 in Minnesota and Jan. 31 in Pennsylvania, and similar requests were filed for journalist Georgia Fort and Senate candidate Jamael Lundy, though the records do not confirm judicial approval or actual deployment.

The surveillance tool mimics a cell tower and can harvest data from any nearby device, prompting civil-liberties advocates to label it a drag-net threat to press freedom. Prosecutors originally alleged the journalists joined chants with agitators, a claim later withdrawn from at least 15 warrant affidavits. Defense lawyers argue the aggressive tactics were unnecessary, especially since Richardson publicly expected arrest and surrendered voluntarily. The case highlights ongoing tensions between law-enforcement surveillance methods and constitutional protections for journalists and protesters.