Cyberforensics Expert Uncovers Proof that Hunter Biden Used Burner Apps
Further investigation into the documents and data stored on Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop reveals that Biden used the applications Phoner, textPlus, and WePhone, apps that mimic “burner phones.” The applications allowed him to generate new phone numbers to make calls and text messages from his iPhone and iPad between 2014 and 2018; however, it is unclear why and to what extent he used these applications. Each burner phone application was used to make multiple purchases and item descriptions of the purchases included “Unlimited Mexico Calls, “Unlimited Calling US & Canada” and “Second Phone Number Yearly.”
This new discovery is part of a series of disclosures by the Washington Examiner surrounding the Hunter Biden laptop controversy. This device came under intense scrutiny in 2020 after the announcement of a federal tax investigation into Hunter Biden and became the center of an ongoing political debate surrounding the authenticity of the laptop. Senate Republicans launched an investigation into whether President Joe Biden profited from his son’s business dealings with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma and hoped that the laptop would reveal evidence that the President profited from his son’s business dealings.
Proof that the President participated in any wrongdoing has not been discovered on the laptop; however, the actions of the President’s son leave many questioning his judgment. Payroll records uncovered on the laptop indicate that Hunter Biden paid a salary to Lunden Roberts, a woman he had a child with in 2018. These payroll records were part of 168,000 deleted files that were retrieved from the hard drive using a cyber forensics technique called “data carving.” Text exchanges seem to reveal that Hunter Biden was shocked that Roberts was on the payroll and requested that she be removed.
Konstantinos “Gus” Dimitrelos was commissioned by the Washington Examiner to examine a copy of the laptop. Dimitrelos used an in-depth method of forensic analysis called “digital sandwiching” to determine that the hard drive was 100% authentic and belonged to Hunter Biden and he also used the data-carving method to uncover the 168,000 deleted files from the Biden laptop.
Dimitrelos explained that the existence of the 168,000 deleted user files supports his conclusion that the laptop is 100% authentic and belonged to Hunter Biden. He said, “In order for user-created data — including personal photographs, bank records, invoices, business records, third-party data such as the driver’s licenses of other persons, chat conversations, and medical records, as examples — to exist within the unallocated hard drive space, the computer user would have had to manually delete the files. Any Robert Hunter Biden recovered files in unallocated space was there as a result of deletions by the user ‘roberthunter.’”
Gus Dimitrelos is a retired U.S. Secret Service agent and became certified in cyber forensics in 1996. Gus was one of the first twelve Secret Service agents to come certified as a computer forensics specialist and has been performing forensics investigations for the U.S. government and the private sector for the past 26 years. He has testified in over 100 classified criminal and civil matters at the state, federal, and international level.
Dimitrelos uncovered a spreadsheet on Biden’s hard drive that contained the records of his transactions in the Apple app store. Dimitrelos says, “The file contained over 2,000 purchases by Robert Hunter Biden and dozens of purchases of burner phone apps, which are used to generate alternate phone numbers capable of making calls and texting from a primary mobile device such as an iPhone or iPad.”
Dimitrelos used the spreadsheet to cross-reference with receipts found on the hard drive and uncovered pictures that were used to buy the burner phone applications. Dimitrelos used metadata to show that the photos were taken with an iPhoneX that was linked to Hunter Biden’s iCloud account.
Biden used the burner phone application at least one time to record a call with Hallie Biden, who is the widow of his Beau Biden, who died in 2015 of brain cancer possibly linked to his exposure to toxic burn pits while he served in the U.S. military. Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden were engaged in a romantic relationship for a short time after Beau’s death and the contents of the recorded phone call are of a personal nature.
Dimitrelos also uncovered text message exchanges between the President and his son, but these messages were personal in nature about his relationship with Hallie. The text messages did reveal that the President offered small amounts of financial help to his son four times in 2018-2019. In one exchange, Hunter asked “Dad can you please cash app me $2000” and the President responded, “Yes what do I do to do it? Is there a thing called cash app.”
Dimitrelos uncovered evidence that Hunter Biden illegally extracted personal data from Hallie Biden’s and other relatives’ cell phones. The personal data includes copies of text messages, photos, notes, call logs, calendars, and voicemail messages. While the majority of these messages were of a personal nature, some of the text messages and voicemails may point to the fact that Hallie was aware of Hunter’s business relationship with China.
Cyber Forensics Can Help With Various Cybersecurity Needs
Gus Dimitrelos and the team at Cyber Forensics continue to use similar methods to assist clients with various cybersecurity needs, including cellular triangulation, forensic training, and electronic discovery. Cyber Forensics analysts can give expert testimony in court cases and step in when clients need help recovering from a data breach or hack.
