FBI searches homes of Indiana U. cybersecurity professor

An Indiana University spokesman responded to questions from CNBC on Monday about the couple’s employment status by saying, “I’ll refer you to the FBI for any information.”

An FBI spokeswoman said, “I can confirm the FBI executed federal search warrants at homes in Carmel and Bloomington Friday.”

“We have no further comment at this time,” the spokeswoman said.

There is no record of any federal criminal case against either Wang or Ma.

Wang, who has been at Indiana University for two decades, has been the associate dean for research at the Luddy School, according to an archived profile page.

That page notes that his work has been funded by multiple federal agencies and that he has been the principal investigator for research projects totaling nearly $23 million.

“Dr. Wang’s research focuses on system security and data privacy with a specialization on security and privacy issues in mobile and cloud computing, and privacy issues in dissemination and computation of human genomic data,” notes a Luddy School page that was still online as of Monday.

The couple did not immediately reply to a message from CNBC requesting comment.

CNBC has also requested comment from Jackie Bennett Jr., an Indianapolis criminal defense lawyer. Bennett was seen arriving at the Carmel, Indiana, home Friday with a woman believed to be Ma.

FBI agents, assisted by Department of Homeland Security agents, searched the residence for more than four hours and removed boxes containing unknown items.

Video obtained by WTHR-TV of the FBI search at the Carmel residence also shows an agent snatching a phone from the woman believed to be Ma, as she stood in front of the home.

While the Carmel search was being conducted, FBI agents also searched the couple’s Bloomington home. Indiana University is located in Bloomington, about 70 miles southwest of Carmel.

Bennett, the attorney, is a former federal prosecutor who served in the office of independent counsel Kenneth Starr from 1995 to 1999, when Starr was conducting a criminal investigation of then-President Bill Clinton.

Bennett questioned Clinton during the president’s testimony before a grand jury regarding his sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.