Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records
Mission
The Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU) examines both manually encrypted documents and records of illegal enterprises, as well as provides expert testimony and other forensic assistance to further identify terrorism, foreign intelligence, and criminal activities in support of federal, state, local, and international law enforcement investigations and prosecutions.
The Team
Cryptanalysts, cryptanalysts (forensic examiner), and a management and program assistant
The Work
- Cryptanalysis - Decrypt manual codes and ciphers found in letters, diaries, ledgers, and other types of written communications, records, and e-mails. Common users of codes ciphers include national and international terrorists, foreign intelligence agents, members, prison inmates, and violent criminals.
- Racketeering Examinations - Examine and decode records from illicit businesses, such as loansharking, prostitution, sports bookmaking, and Internet gambling. Such violations are predicate offenses for RICO charges. Examinations may reveal the type of operation, dates of activity, wagering or loan amounts, types of wagers or loans, number and roles of participants, and accounting methods.
- Drug Records Examinations - Examine and decode records pertaining to the type of operation, type of drug, quantity of drugs sold or purchased, unit prices, method of payment, transaction dates, roles of participants, gross and net profits, and operating expenses.
The unit members also testify in legal proceedings.
Read a story about the work of our cryptanalysts