Griffin Law Office served as lead defense counsel in the only U.S. case arising from Operation Trojan Shield, one of the most expansive and consequential international criminal prosecution ever brought. The Federal case, filed in the San Diego, was the direct result of a covert FBI operation involving a fake encrypted phone platform known as Anom, which led to the arrest of more than 1,000 individuals worldwide and the interception of over 27 million messages.
This prosecution was the central case in a global sting operation involving law enforcement agencies across 18 countries. On a single coordinated day, more than 800 individuals were arrested simultaneously, marking an unprecedented moment in the history of transnational criminal enforcement.
At the heart of the operation was a strategy as sweeping as it was complex. The FBI designed and built its own encrypted phone platform, branded as “Anom,” and then recruited a confidential informant to distribute the devices to criminal networks. As the phones spread across the globe, users believed they were communicating securely. In fact, each message sent from an Anom device generated a hidden carbon copy that was routed directly to the FBI. Over the course of years, the FBI collected and reviewed tens of millions of messages without obtaining a single U.S. warrant, relying instead on undisclosed foreign partnerships to conduct the surveillance outside traditional constitutional constraints.
Although the U.S. government charged only one case, under the RICO statute, that case became the legal centerpiece of the operation. Patrick Griffin, founder of Griffin Law Office, represented a lead defendant and was recognized by the court and defense bar as lead counsel in the litigation.
Griffin led a team of attorneys in filing and litigating some of the most complex and significant motions arising from the Anom investigation. As reported by VICE, Courthouse News, and 404 Media, the defense team, under Griffin’s leadership, mounted a constitutional challenge to the government’s use of Anom, its surveillance architecture, and its handling of international evidence.
One of the most significant outcomes of the litigation was a court order requiring the government to disclose the identity of a previously classified foreign government that had served as the key partner in the interception and transfer of Anom communications. The Department of Justice resisted disclosure for years, asserting national security and various privileges. Griffin’s legal team prevailed, obtaining what remains the only court ruling worldwide that forced the U.S. government to name the foreign partner that enabled its global wiretap operation.
The result materially undercut the government’s case and exposed structural vulnerabilities in how cross-border digital surveillance is coordinated and litigated. The case became a reference point in the international legal community for how defense counsel can challenge a global surveillance operation.
The matter drew front-page coverage from major national and international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, The Guardian, VICE, and The Wall Steet Journal, among others. The story was followed closely by legal analysts, journalists, and policymakers across jurisdictions. The case is now being adapted into a Netflix feature film, directed by Jason Bateman, with a focus on the development of the Anom platform and the legal battles that followed.
Griffin Law Office’s leadership in the case demonstrates its capacity to manage constitutional litigation, classified material, and international legal frameworks at the highest level. The case involved novel applications of the Fourth Amendment, complex questions of international legal process, and years of sustained litigation against coordinated global law enforcement efforts.
The procedural and legal complexity of this case set a standard rarely seen in any courtroom, federal or state. The issues litigated, including transnational surveillance, encrypted communications, and government secrecy, represent the outer edge of what criminal defense entails in the modern era. Successfully leading this case required fluency in federal criminal law, international cooperation protocols, digital forensics, and constitutional litigation.
Griffin Law Office remains committed to delivering that same level of defense in any criminal matter, no matter the scale or jurisdiction.
