Appeals court rules FBI seizure of Mike Lindell’s phone didn’t violate his constitutional rights

A federal appeals court has ruled the FBI’s seizure of Mike Lindell’s cell phone last year did not violate his constitutional rights, according to an opinion filed today.

The panel upheld a lower court’s ruling, noting the “warrant explicitly authorized the search of Lindell’s person for his cell phone as well as the seizure and search of the phone for records and information.”

No charges have been filed in relation to the investigation, which is ongoing, the opinion notes.

Lindell is the CEO of MyPillow, based in Chaska. Federal agents reportedly stopped him at a Hardee’s in Mankato on Sept. 13, 2022.

Court records note Lindell’s phone was seized due to “an ongoing federal investigation into the individuals responsible for publishing forensic images of election software used in the 2020 election in Mesa County, Colorado.”

Lindell argued the federal investigation violated his 1st and 4th Amendment rights. In today’s published opinion, the appellate court judges disagreed.

While the opinion found Lindell’s constitutional rights were not violated, the court noted Federal officials needed to provide further justification for not returning his cell phone by now, which they seized over a year ago, writing in part, “the government has no right to hold onto property that is not contraband indefinitely.”

In an email, an attorney for Lindell told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he would not comment on pending matters.

Read the opinion here: