I can't see the FBI actually killing someone for passing on a used phone. That's a lot of risk for zero benefit.
I can see just generally wanting to stay off their radar, though. Even law-abiding folks can get arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you don't want someone to see "passed an FBI-tapped phone to a tech media site" in your file. Or maybe their work requires a security clearance, that could hurt you there.
