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United States v. Gratkowski

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

964 F.3d 3017 (2020)

Facts

The public information in a bitcoin blockchain included, for each bitcoin transfer, the bitcoin addresses of the payor and payee and the amount of the transfer. By analyzing the blockchain, it would be possible to identify blockchain users. Federal agents reviewed publicly available bitcoin blockchain information to identify a group of bitcoin addresses held by a child-pornography website (the website). Law enforcement subpoenaed Coinbase, a virtual-currency exchange, to identify its customers who had sent bitcoin to the website. Coinbase identified Richard Gratkowski (defendant) as one of those customers. Federal agents searched Gratkowski’s house and found child pornography. Gratkowski was charged with crimes related to child pornography. Gratkowski filed a motion to suppress the evidence found at his house, claiming that the disclosure of his bitcoin records violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The district court denied the motion. Gratkowski appealed.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Haynes, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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