FBI secretly sought data on 3,501 last year

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

The FBI secretly sought information last year on 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents from their banks and credit card, telephone and Internet companies without a court's approval, the Justice Department said Friday.

It was the first time the Bush administration has publicly disclosed how often it uses the administrative subpoena known as a "national security letter," which allows the executive branch of government to obtain records about people in terrorism and espionage investigations without court approval.

Sort of like Anthony Pellicano on a big scale.