PHOENIX-
A Phoenix judge has ruled the Arizona Attorney General’s Office may not force Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Western Union and two affiliates to turn over electronic data on wires transfers made to and from Nevada and Sonora, Mexico.
The Friday ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court Kenneth Fields said the office’s request to look for trends and money flows to spot drug and human smugglers was too broad, especially considering the amount of personal data of innocent people that would be turned over.
The Attorney General’s Office subpoenaed Western Union and two affiliated companies, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, to turn over databases of wire transfers in excess of $300 to and from Nevada and Sonora.
Fields called the request “unreasonable” because it was “without connection to a specific criminal investigation.” He also said the Attorney General’s Office has no jurisdiction to gather information on business conducted in Mexico and Nevada without an Arizona link.
Assistant Attorney General Cameron Holmes said his office is examining the ruling before taking its next course of action.
He interpreted Fields’ ruling as only applying to the specific subpoenas his office requested. “Ultimately we’ll get the data we need,” he said.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic,
