{"id":838326,"date":"2025-04-01T16:13:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T21:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/01\/canadian-businessman-remains-in-french-jail-accused-of-distributing-sky-ecc-cryptophones\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T16:13:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T21:13:53","slug":"canadian-businessman-remains-in-french-jail-accused-of-distributing-sky-ecc-cryptophones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/01\/canadian-businessman-remains-in-french-jail-accused-of-distributing-sky-ecc-cryptophones\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian businessman remains in French jail, accused of distributing Sky ECC cryptophones"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/encryption-binary-code-tunnel-alexskopje-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" data-credit=\"alexskopje - stock.adobe.com\"  width=\"520\" height=\"173\" alt><\/p>\n<p>alexskopje &#8211; stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"content-header\">\n<h2>Canadian businessman Thomas Herdman has been held in pre-trial detention without trial for nearly four years \u2013 he has once again been refused bail<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-center\">\n<ul>\n<li><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i data-icon=\"2\"><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"contributors-block\">\n<p><span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/contributor\/Bill-Goodwin\">Bill Goodwin,<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Computer Weekly<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/contributor\/Morgan-Ayre\">Morgan  Ayre<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n\tPublished: <span>04 Mar 2025 14:05<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"content-body\">\n<p>A Paris court has denied bail to businessman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366609662\/Canadian-arrested-by-France-after-cooperating-with-US-on-Sky-ECC-cryptophone-investigation\">Thomas Herdman<\/a>, who faces charges over distributing encrypted phones that were used by criminals, stating that he is a flight risk and that justice needs to be carried out.<\/p>\n<p>The Canadian is charged with 22 offences, including laundering profits from drug trafficking by organised crime through the distribution of Sky ECC encrypted phones. He denies all charges.<\/p>\n<p>Belgian and Dutch police broke the encryption of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366618716\/Police-swoop-on-Sky-ECC-cryptophone-distributors-in-Spain-and-Holland%20%5b\">Sky ECC<\/a>, the world\u2019s largest cryptophone network, and harvested millions of messages between June 2019 and March 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252497565\/Police-crack-worlds-largest-cryptophone-network-as-criminals-swap-EncroChat-for-Sky-NCC\">resulting in mass arrests of suspected drug gangs<\/a> in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n<p>French prosecutors have indicted more than 30 individuals who owned or worked for four companies that distributed Sky ECC phones and individual resellers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252497791\/Arrest-warrants-for-Candians-behind-Sky-ECC-cryptophone-networks-used-by-organised-crime\">Sky Global\u2019s founder and CEO, Jean-Francois Eap<\/a>, who continues to live and run businesses in Canada, is among those named on the French indictment.<\/p>\n<p>Herdman is understood to be the only individual charged in French custody.<\/p>\n<p>At a hearing in a Paris court on 27 February, Herdman\u2019s lawyer, Paul Sin-Chan told, the court his client had been cooperating with American authorities, including the Department of Justice (DoJ), the FBI and the US Marshals Service, before he was unexpectedly arrested by French police.<\/p>\n<p>Herdman had consistently demonstrated his willingness to work with law enforcement and should not be considered a flight risk, the court heard.<\/p>\n<p>Philippe Ohayon, also representing Herdman, said French police were wrong to extradite his client to France while he was working with US law enforcement investigating Sky Global in Spain.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Thomas-Herdman-140x180px.jpg\" alt>Thomas Herdman\n<\/p>\n<p>The court heard that the FBI ran a sting operation to trap Herdman. A Department of Justice report disclosed to the court claims that Herdman allegedly sold three Sky phones to undercover officers posing as drug traffickers.<\/p>\n<p>The prosecutor acknowledged both Herdman\u2019s cooperation and the fact that he had not directly communicated with anyone she said was \u201cmafia\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Five judges will hear a case against 30 people accused of being involved in the distribution of encrypted mobile phones used by organised criminals at a special criminal court expected to take place in spring 2026 in Paris.<\/p>\n<p>The French appeal court judges <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366617360\/French-court-refuses-to-expedite-trial-of-Sky-ECC-cryptophone-distributor-Thomas-Herdman\">rejected a petition by Herdman<\/a> in December 2024 to expedite his case by hearing it in a lower court, after his lawyers argued that there was no evidence that Herman had any direct links to criminality.<\/p>\n<section data-menu-title=\"\u2018Let me fight this from the outside\u2019\">\n<h2><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i>\u2018Let me fight this from the outside\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The defence team said their client was isolated and had lost hope after years of incarceration without trial.<\/p>\n<p>When Herdman addressed the court, his voice broke with emotion. He has been detained for nearly four years without trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His daughter, Julie, who was in the courtroom for the hearing, cried as he spoke of missing four of her birthdays.<\/p>\n<p>Herdman asked the court to allow him to fight his case from outside prison. He assured the judges that he had a job and a place to live in France, which demonstrated his ties to the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am the breadwinner for my family, and this situation is weighing heavily on them,\u201d he said. He told the court that his mother suffered a stroke in December and now requires 24-hour care, further straining the family\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n<p>He rejected allegations that he was involved in illicit activities and told the court he did not own Sky Global and was not an employee of the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Herdman was hired by LevUp Technologies Inc in 2017 after it won a contract to distribute Sky ECC phones. He described LevUp as a \u201cfailed business\u201d that had never profited from criminal activity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to my calculations, it only had 1% of Sky Global\u2019s customers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>His only known link to France, Herdman argued, was a computer server used by Sky Global, which supplied Sky ECC software to resellers, in a French datacentre that he had not even been aware of.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He said France was bending its own pre-trial detention rules by holding him for so long without trial. \u201cI was extradited from Spain and came here willingly,\u201d Herdman said. \u201cI am not a flight risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-menu-title=\"Bail denied\">\n<h2><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i>Bail denied<\/h2>\n<p>After a short deliberation, the judges ruled against granting Herdman bail.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As officers prepared to take him back into custody, Herdman and his daughter exchanged words \u2013 \u201cI love you\u201d \u2013 before he was led away in handcuffs.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking outside the courtroom, Julie said she was baring up given the circumstances. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u2019 she said, \u201cbut my dad and his lawyers did think the bail would be denied, so they were prepared for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He has 10 days to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"DigDeeperSplash\">\n<h4>\n\t\t\t<i data-icon=\"m\"><\/i>Read more on IT legislation and regulation<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366618716\/Police-swoop-on-Sky-ECC-cryptophone-distributors-in-Spain-and-Holland\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/encryption-binary-code-tunnel-alexskopje-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/encryption-binary-code-tunnel-alexskopje-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/encryption-binary-code-tunnel-alexskopje-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Police swoop on Sky ECC cryptophone distributors in Spain and Holland<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366617111\/Top-10-surveillance-journalism-and-encryption-stories-of-2024\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/surveillance-camera-security-spy-AlexeyAchepovsky-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/surveillance-camera-security-spy-AlexeyAchepovsky-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/surveillance-camera-security-spy-AlexeyAchepovsky-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Top 10 surveillance, journalism and encryption stories of 2024<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366617360\/French-court-refuses-to-expedite-trial-of-Sky-ECC-cryptophone-distributor-Thomas-Herdman\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/encryption-binary-code-tunnel-alexskopje-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/encryption-binary-code-tunnel-alexskopje-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/encryption-binary-code-tunnel-alexskopje-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>French court refuses to expedite trial of Sky ECC cryptophone distributor Thomas Herdman<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366615638\/Ex-boxer-fights-US-government-over-legality-of-Sky-ECC-cryptophone-intercepts\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/Mobile-Phone-Communication-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Mobile-Phone-Communication-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Mobile-Phone-Communication-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Ex-boxer fights US government over legality of Sky ECC cryptophone intercepts<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366619740\/Canadian-businessman-remains-in-French-jail-accused-of-distributing-Sky-ECC-cryptophones\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>alexskopje &#8211; stock.adobe.com Canadian businessman Thomas Herdman has been held in pre-trial detention without trial for nearly four years \u2013 he has once again been refused bail By Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly Morgan Ayre Published: 04 Mar 2025 14:05 A Paris court has denied bail to businessman Thomas Herdman, who faces charges over distributing encrypted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":838327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28956,22265],"tags":[43024,9997],"class_list":{"0":"post-838326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-businessman","8":"category-canadian","9":"tag-businessman","10":"tag-canadian"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=838326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=838326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=838326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=838326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}