FBI investigating Minnesota cybersecurity expert over concerns about his background, Hennepin Co. att'y says
There is a controversy surrounding a prominent Minnesota computer forensics expert.
Mark Lanterman, the Chief Technology Officer at Computer Forensic Services, is being accused by Wisconsin attorney Sean Harrington of inflating his resume and misrepresenting his credentials. Lanterman has accused Harrington of a "smear campaign", but the claims were enough to lead both the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and FBI to probe Lanterman's education and work experiences.
Harrington declined WCCO's request for an interview, but provided a write-up of what he said is his research into Lanterman and several other "frauds." Harrington also said that while his work does include law related to cyber crimes, he rejects the notion that he is one of Lanterman's competitors.
Lanterman, who also has not spoken publicly since the Hennepin County Attorney's Office disclosed the investigation on Wednesday, has said in the past he has worked on more than 2,000 state and federal cases requiring his services.
The attorney's office on Wednesday said it has been unable to verify Mark Lanterman's educational and employment background fully after "concerns were raised."
Lanterman has been a featured speaker at myriad engagements, including a 2017 talk at the University of Minnesota entitled "Cyber Crime: From Phishing to the Dark Net."
Speaking generally about cyber crimes, however, is not the same as testifying as an expert witness, where the individual's credentials are critical to the reliability and credibility of that testimony.
"It's scholarly writings, it's taking seminars, continuing education, and having work experience where you've been able to get into your field of study," Kevin Sieben, a criminal defense attorney in Eagan said. "If there's a case with an expert that's found out to have actually been an expert, that everybody who had that expert in their case should go back and evaluate their case to determine if they can say whether his determination is accurate."
Neither the attorney's office nor the FBI has said which part, or parts, of Lanterman's experience is under review; Harrington's claims about Lanterman cover everything from his education at Harvard University to the length and breadth of his job responsibilities and membership in certain organizations.
Matthew Cybert, the Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service Minneapolis Field Office, said on Friday that Lanterman did work with his agency.
"The U.S. Secret Service can confirm that Mr. Lanterman did work on our electronic crimes task force while assigned to the Hopkins Police Department," Cybert said.
A spokesman for the University of St. Thomas likewise confirmed that Lanterman "is currently an adjunct faculty member at the School of Law."
Lanterman says he is also a faculty member at Hamline University in St. Paul. WCCO reached out to the school for comment but has not yet heard back.
While the probes continue, there are already ripple effects in ongoing cases involving Lanternman across the country, including in federal district courts in Florida and New Jersey. In one such case, Vision Industries Group, Inc. v. ACU Plasmold, Inc., Lanterman must appear at a virtual hearing on April 3 to answer questions about his credentials.
A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney's Office has also confirmed, "we have now sent disclosures on ten pending cases we have identified as being potentially impacted."
According to Sieben, when it comes to past cases, there is a much higher bar for overturning judgments or convictions, even if the claims about Lanterman's background turn out to be accurate.
"It's a high standard that we have in the law, and you have to be able to show there was something wrong or faulty about that testimony in addition to them being maybe not a credible witness," Sieben said.
Lanterman, who owns the Minneapolis-based company Computer Forensic Services, says he has testified in over 2,000 cases and is a former member of the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, according to a biography on his company's website, which has since been removed.
