A woman is suing the DEA for using her photos without her knowledge to set up a fake Facebook page for criminal stings.
Radley Balko, author of “Rise of the Warrior Cop” says even more astonishing than the fact that law enforcement authorities used a woman’s identity without her permission, is that authorities are defending their practice in federal court of using their power to use a person’s identity without their consent.
The complaint says that the woman did not know that the DEA was using her photos without her permission. Law enforcement confiscated her cell phone on another matter. Then the DEA claimed that when they acquired her phone, they were justified in using it as they needed.
CNN contributor Paul Callan, a criminal defense attorney reported that the DEA’s actions amount to the following, which are grounds for a lawsuit …
Invasion of privacy
Identity theft
Libel and slander — when they portray her on the false Facebook page with her image in the photos.
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