A lawyer defending an alleged distributor of Anom, the encrypted phone company for criminals that the FBI secretly ran and backdoored to intercept tens of millions of messages, is pushing to learn the identity of the confidential human source (CHS) who first created Anom and provided it to the FBI starting the largest sting operation in history, according to recently filed court records. The government says it will provide that identity under discovery, but the CHS may also be revealed in open court if they testify.

The move is significant in that the CHS, who used the pseudonym Afgoo while running Anom, is a likely target for retaliation from violent criminals caught in Anom’s net. The Anom case, called Operation Trojan Shield, implicated hundreds of criminal syndicates in more than 100 countries. That includes South American cocaine traffickers, Australian biker gangs, and kingpins hiding in Dubai. Anom also snagged specific significant drug traffickers like Hakan Ayik, who authorities say heads the Aussie Cartel which brought in more than a billion Australian dollars in profit annually.

Court records say, however, that if this defendant’s case goes to trial, the lawyer believes Afgoo will be the “government’s key witness.”

“Given the CHS’s central role in the investigation and relevance to the prosecution, the government is obligated to provide his identity and particularized information about him,” the motion to compel discovery, filed by defense attorney Patrick M. Griffin in November, reads. Griffin is representing Alexander Dmitrienko, who prosecutors indicted along with 16 others. Lawyers for three other defendants also joined the motion. Those defendants are Seyyed Hossein Hosseini, Aurangzeb Ayub, and Shane Ngakuru.

In 2018 Afgoo, who had previously sold phones from companies popular with organized criminals such as Phantom Secure and Sky, approached the FBI with a proposition: Would the agency like to take control of Anom, an embryonic encrypted phone company Afgoo was developing, for use in its own investigations? In exchange Afgoo received $120,000 and nearly $60,000 for expenses, and the possibility of a reduced sentence for charges they were facing, according to an affidavit written by Nicholas Cheviron, one of the FBI agents that spearheaded the Anom operation.

The opportunity for law enforcement was staggering. They could put a backdoor into Anom to read all of its users’ messages, and once criminals started using the devices, observe and disrupt drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, public corruption, and assassinations all over the globe. Anom eventually grew to more than 12,000 devices and collected more than 27 million messages.

“The CHS was an active participant in the alleged conspiracy; indeed, acting on behalf of the government, he was its principal organizer, promoter, and technician. In fact, it appears he worked closely with the government when it created the Anom device. As such, he is a percipient witness with first-hand knowledge of many of the relevant facts and a participant in numerous forms of communication with one or more of the defendants,” the motion continues. Pointing to previous precedent, Griffin adds information about the CHS is required for the defense to fulfill its obligations under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments.

“As to timing, trial is fast approaching, and given the worldwide scope of this case, the defense needs time to adequately prepare, including developing impeachment material for the CHS, who undoubtedly will be the government’s key witness,” Griffin writes. That trial is slated for March.

Griffin is seeking Afgoo’s real name; any aliases; their full criminal background including arrests, charges, and convictions; details on any compensation or benefits they received as part of being a CHS; any promises, agreements, or understandings between them and the government, including immunity, immigration benefits, or sentencing recommendations; records showing whether they’ve ever been untruthful or unreliable in any case; information about any psychological or substance abuse history that could impact their reliability as a witness; and all communications between the government and the CHS, among other things.

The reason for seeking this information, Griffin says, is that the defense “is entitled to investigate his background and prepare a vigorous cross examination.”

According to Griffin, in an October meeting the government indicated it would provide the CHS’s name and other details, but did not provide a date at which it would do so. Hence the motion for discovery, which also requests other information about Anom’s operations. A government response filed shortly after said “the government has already advised Dmitrienko that it will be providing discovery relating to the CHS. The government will identify the CHS in advance of trial.” On December 13, the court granted the motion for discovery in part.

Joshua Mellor, one of the main prosecutors on the Anom cases, told 404 Media in an email that “if the case does go to trial, we will have to reveal the identity of the CHS.”

“It would first be revealed in discovery and then in public court if the CHS testifies,” he added.

The defense has already obtained significant discovery, including technical documents on how the Anom system worked and a massive trove of Anom messages, according to other court records.

The motion for discovery also explicitly mentions my book DARK WIRE, which revealed many new details about the Anom operation. “Mr. Dmitrienko is informed and believes the government secured a private jet to deliver a large shipment of Anom phones from the United States to Western Europe to fulfill demand it created after shutting down the Sky system of encrypted devices. (Discussed in the book Dark Wire and raised at our last motion hearing; the government did not dispute undersigned counsel’s recitation of this incident and presumably would have if it were untrue.),” the court record reads. That scene of the book was based on my conversations with FBI officials.

London, United Kingdom, 23rd December 2024, Chainwire

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• In the US, it's common for children to leave Santa Claus milk and cookies.
• But this tradition looks different for children around the world.
• In Ireland, some families leave Santa a pint of Guinness.

From the Yule Lads of Iceland to the traditionally green-clad Father Christmas of the UK, the Santa Claus Americans are accustomed to looks a little different throughout the rest of the world, and so do certain Christmas traditions.

While it's common for people around the world to leave their gift-giver a treat for their arrival, the choice of snacks and drinks vary.

Many American children, for example, are known to leave milk, cookies, and the occasional reindeer-friendly snack, such as a carrot, but it's common for kids to leave Santa Claus a stronger drink — like beer or wine — in European countries such as France and Ireland. And for children in Germany, snacks are skipped altogether in favor of handwritten letters.

Whether you're looking to mix up your Santa's snacks or just learn something new this holiday season, here's a peek at how Christmas is celebrated around the world through 12 treats families leave for the man with the bag.

United States

In the US, many children leave out a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa.

Some families also leave carrots and celery for Santa's reindeer.

Australia

Although Australians leave cookies for Santa to snack on, they replace the glass of milk with a cold glass of beer. December is actually summer for Australia, so the beer might be just what Santa needs in the hot weather.

Ireland

Some families in Ireland leave a pint of Guinness for Santa on Christmas Eve.

According to Culture Trip, children usually place the cold beer near the tree to offer Saint Nick a quick pick-me-up for the long night ahead.

UK

Like in Australia and Ireland, children in the UK also leave Santa alcohol.

Families believe Father Christmas needs some sherry to warm up on Christmas night. It's also tradition to pair the sherry with a mince pie.

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, children often leave carrots and hay to help energize Sinterklaas's horses — yes, horses — on their trip around the world.

In some parts of Europe, like Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands, children don't believe Santa's sleigh is pulled by reindeer. Instead, they think he is being pulled by horses, so children leave food for them on Christmas Eve, and sometimes this food is left in their shoes.

Argentina

Rather than leave snacks for Santa, children in Argentina leave out hay and water for the Three Kings' horses. They also leave out their shoes, so their gifts can be placed in them, Ecela Spanish reported.

Children in Argentina usually receive their presents on January 6, Three Kings Day, which honors the day the Three Kings delivered their presents to baby Jesus.

Denmark

Kids in Denmark don't leave anything for Julemanden — the Danish term for Santa — to eat, but they do leave out treats for their nisse, or house elf.

According to Atlas Obscura, the Danish tradition calls for families to leave a bowl of risengrød (rice pudding or sweet porridge) out on Christmas Eve for the house elf.

Sweden

In 2017, then-press officer of the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC, Kate Reuterswärd told NPR that her family would leave a bowl of risgrynsgröt (rice porridge) outside their door.

"The rice porridge is thickened with milk and flavored with cinnamon and a little salt. Some families add almonds, butter, jam, or molasses, but the traditional version doesn't have to be sweetend," she said.

Some families in Sweden may also leave Jultomte a cup of coffee.

Iceland

Rather than Santa Claus, children in Iceland await the arrival of the 13 Yule Lads, who, beginning on December 12, each bring them a small present, Nordic Visitor reported. In return, families leave out laufabrauð, which translates to leaf bread and tastes like a crispy wafer.

France

In France, children leave Père Noël wine and leave Gui, his donkey, treats like carrots or hay, which is left in their shoes, History.com reported.

Germany

Germans have a Christmas angel, the "Christkind," instead of Santa Claus, and they don't leave any snacks.

Instead, they write the angel letters. Some families mail the letters ahead of the holiday, while others leave them out on Christmas Eve, History.com reported.

Chile

In Chile, children leave pan de pascua, a traditional fruitcake, for Viejito Pascuero, "Old Man Christmas." Some of the fruitcake's key ingredients are dulce de leche, rum, candided fruits, and nuts.