Court docs: Wi-Fi jammers used in Seattle athletes' home invasions

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3 hours ago

The Brief
Police believe a suspect, Earl Riley IV, and his accomplices used Wi-Fi jammers to disable web-based security cameras during a series of burglaries targeting the homes of star athletes in Seattle, including Richard Sherman, Blake Snell, and Julio Rodriguez.
Security experts confirm that Wi-Fi jammers, which are inexpensive and easily accessible online, are increasingly being used by criminals to block wireless security camera signals, making hard-wired systems a more secure alternative.
Earl Riley IV is currently facing multiple charges of residential burglary and robbery, and bail has been set at $1 million in connection with the case.
SEATTLE - Police say a suspect and his crew appeared to be using a Wi-Fi jammer to help them break into the homes of Seattle's top star athletes.
Back in April, FOX 13 reported on security video that showed the alleged armed robbers running out of the home of Richard Sherman.
According to court documents, someone inside the house was held at gunpoint and asked where Sherman was.
This is a look at the suspect, Earl Riley IV, 21, wearing a $75,000 watch. Investigators say it belongs to professional baseball player Blake Snell.
Snell, Sherman and Julio Rodriguez all had their homes broken into during the crime spree.
Security experts say thieves have been using this technology more and more in order to shut down web-based security cameras. The picture below is a stock image provided in court documents, showing what a jammer looks like.
Max Anderson, owner of Anderson Assessment, says they've already been documented in use by larger crime rings overseas and are being used more frequently locally as well.
"From the security side, we've been tracking this for years now," says Anderson.
The burglary at Richard Sherman's home was caught on security cameras, despite what detectives believe was an attempt by thieves to block them, using a device which they call a Wi-Fi jammer.
"Most of our Wi-Fi security cameras now would be impacted by that," said Anderson.
Investigators say Earl Riley IV and his crew were captured on camera carrying the devices as they burgled the homes of at least three-star athletes in Seattle.
Anderson says the devices are made to block Wi-Fi signals, so wireless cameras such as Ring or Google cameras can't record video.
"If you are breaking into someone's home even though it's not a huge range, when you get to the front door, all of a sudden the cameras stop working," said Anderson.
Court documents state when burglars broke into Dodgers baseball player Blake Snell's home in Edmonds, surveillance footage showed a device that resembled "a cell signal or Wi-Fi jammer in the hand of one of the suspects".
During the break-in at Richard Sherman's home in Maple Valley just a few days later, security cameras also captured the suspects in that break-in, holding the Wi-Fi jammer.
Court documents state: "Sherman video surveillance also captured the suspects. The photo left shows the suspect holding the Wi-Fi jammer, photo middle shows the suspect just prior to breaking in, and photo far right is a stock photo of a frequency jammer."
A stock photo provided for comparison, at right in the photo above, shows how similar the devices look to one another.
During a third break-in at Julio Rodriguez's home, police say surveillance video showed, "The suspects once again carried what appeared to be a frequency jammer."
"They are not expensive, they are very easily accessible," said Anderson.
Anderson says you can buy the jammers online for just a few hundred dollars. He says the only way around them right now is to get a hard-wired security system.
"It has to be professionally installed. Usually there is more upkeep. The convenience is using Wi-Fi, but it can also easily be defeated," said Anderson.
Anderson says another way to protect yourself is to hire a service to remove all your personal information, including your address, from data broker sites online.
"There are about 450 of them currently. The websites contain information like your home address, your phone numbers, your emails, your birthdate, license plate and VIN numbers," he said.
He says many professional athletes and celebrities use a service called 360 Privacy, or something similar, to help them remove online data.
In general, Anderson also says people should avoid posting information online that indicates the times and dates that they won't be home.
As for Riley IV, he's facing several counts of residential burglary and robbery in the first degree in the case involving Robert Sherman and is being held in the King County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
He's expected back in court a week from Monday.
The Source
Information in this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle's Jennifer Dowling.
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