Federal Drug Agency Sued for Creating Fake Facebook Profile

A federal agency responsible for enforcing drug law has been sued for creating a fake Facebook profile of a woman arrested on drug charges.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is accused of using photos and information Sondra Arquiett’s cellphone to create a false Facebook profile that was used to extract drug secrets from her friends, according to the Associated Press. Arquiett was arrested in New York in 2010 on charges that she was involved in a drug distribution network.

A Department of Justice spokesman said Tuesday that the government is now reviewing the incident and the practice, even though it previously defended itself, according to August court filings. In the documents, the DOJ argued that while Arquiett did not directly authorize a DEA agent to create a fake Facebook profile, she “implicitly consented by granting access to the information stored in her cellphone and by consenting to the use of that information to aid in … ongoing criminal investigations,” AP reported.

The trial is scheduled for next week.

[AP]