Federal Prosecutors Charge Traveler for Wiping Phone With Duress Password During Border Search

Federal prosecutors charged Sam Tunick under a property-destruction statute for entering a GrapheneOS duress password — a built-in feature that wipes a device — during a warrantless border search at Atlanta's airport in January 2025. Agents denied counsel and Miranda warnings. The case tests whether using a privacy feature as designed can be prosecuted as evidence destruction absent a warrant.