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personpersonRichard BusickRichard BusickFederal Bureau of Investigation special agent with expertise in historical cell-site analysis.← All People
WitnessFederal Bureau of Investigation

Richard Busick

Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent with expertise in historical cell-site analysis.

AppearedFederal Criminal Trial
148 lines·4 proceedings·2 mentions

About

FBI Special Agent Richard Busick testified for the government on Day 10 about his historical cell-site analysis. He described his training and experience and explained how AT&T records identify connection times, cell sites, and antenna sectors.

Busick analyzed records for a phone number that an admitted email showed Samuel Bankman-Fried providing. By mapping the cellular data and comparing it with appointment and email records, he found connections consistent with the device being in Manhattan and near several identified locations. The court admitted the AT&T records, Busick's summary report, and related documents.

Busick emphasized that the analysis identified the connected antenna rather than the phone's exact position. He explained that buildings, terrain, network density, antenna direction, distance, and other conditions can affect a device's connection. On cross-examination, he agreed that the analysis could not identify the device's user or reveal call content.

The defense also established that the government supplied the phone number, records, and dates and times for comparison. Busick responded that he had first searched the broader records for Manhattan connections and that the government's specified dates coincided with dates he had identified. A final direct-examination example ended without resolving a conflict between the October date shown in the question and email and the November date stated in his answer.

Trial Record (4)

FederalFederal Criminal TrialOct 3, 2023 – Nov 2, 2023Called by prosecution

Richard Busick testified about historical cell-site records used to estimate a phone's vicinity, including findings consistent with the analyzed device being in Manhattan near identified locations. He acknowledged that the analysis was approximate and could not identify the device's user or reveal call content.

Day 9

Day 10

DirectRichard Busick — DirectRichard BusickDanielle Kudla6highlights114lines spoken

Summary

FBI agent Richard Busick explained historical cell-site analysis and testified that AT&T records placed the 9179 phone in Manhattan or near specified meeting locations during several relevant periods.

Highlights (6)

testimony highlightBusick described more than 21 years as an FBI special agent, his CAST certification and training, more than a thousand cell-site analyses, and approximately 18 prior expert appearances.Open in transcript →
testimony highlightAfter explaining how AT&T records identify the connected antenna rather than the phone's exact position, Busick described mapping and verifying the data against AT&T's cell-site list.Open in transcript →
Quote“Next, we have the latitude and longitude——think GPS coordinate——of the actual cell site itself, so that's the location of the antenna——not the phone but the antenna that the phone connected to at the time.”— Richard BusickBusick distinguished the known antenna location from the phone's approximate location, an important limitation of the analysis.Open in transcript →
evidence eventAn admitted email attributed the analyzed 650-906-9179 number to Sam Bankman-Fried, and Busick confirmed that it was the number used in his analysis.Open in transcript →
Show all 6 highlights
testimony highlightBusick compared appointment and email records with cell-site data and offered qualified vicinity opinions for multiple Manhattan locations and time periods.Open in transcript →
testimony highlightIn the final example, the question concerned October 14, 2022, but Busick's answer referred to November 14 while placing the phone near 11 Madison Avenue.Open in transcript →
CrossRichard Busick — CrossRichard BusickChristian R. Everdell4highlights34lines spoken

Summary

Defense counsel established that Richard Busick's cell-site analysis could suggest where the 9179 phone was located but could not identify its user or reveal call content.

Highlights (4)

admissionBusick confirmed that the phone records and his analysis could not identify who was using the phone.Open in transcript →
Quote“Correct. I cannot determine that via the records.”— Richard BusickBusick directly stated the central limitation of the cell-site evidence: it could not identify the person using the phone.Open in transcript →
testimony highlightIn response to the court, Busick explained that he first searched the records for Manhattan connections and that the government's specified dates and times coincided with dates he had identified.Open in transcript →
Quote“I first looked throughout the records to determine when the records indicated that the phone was connecting with cell sites in Manhattan and then, in regards to the specific dates and times, those were provided to me by the government.”— Richard BusickBusick distinguished his initial review for Manhattan activity from the government's selection of particular dates and times.Open in transcript →