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In the latest Apple Crime Blotter, there is theft at a Santa Monica Apple Store, a basketball player is fined for throwing away an iPhone and iPad fraud by a New Zealand rugby star.
The latest in an AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
Man charged with selling stolen iPhone abroad
A North Carolina businessman has been charged with federal charges for selling stolen iPhones overseas. According to the statement from the Justice Department, the man, who had a wireless store in Charlotte, bought hundreds of fraudulently obtained iPhones and other devices from “boosters”, which he then sold to the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.
Those who stole iPhones and other devices in the area knew that the man’s store, Wireless City Fashions, was a place where they could sell stolen goods “without asking,” the Justice Department claims.
The owner was charged with four counts of transporting stolen goods.
Dust was not considered a threat after Apple Park evacuation
On March 15, part of Apple Park was evacuated after an envelope containing a “white powder substance” was discovered. Not long after, the situation seemed under control.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department later revealed that the mail item in question “has been thoroughly examined and was not considered a threat.”
Earlier today, #sccfd responded to an incident involving hazardous substances on @Apple headquarters. An employee identified a suspicious mail item. The item has been thoroughly investigated and was not considered a threat. pic.twitter.com/t6WR3yDzZF
— Santa Clara Co Fire (@sccfiredept) March 16, 2022
Man throws away iPad during virtual court hearing
A 39-year-old North Dakota man who first appeared in a hit-and-run attack threw his iPad away during a virtual court hearing. According to KX News, the man had been accused of leaving the scene of a fatal accident that left a 77-year-old man dead.
The defendant showed up almost the day after the accident and was seen some time before, according to a sheriff’s deputy, “got upset, threw away his iPad and said he didn’t want to hear anything more.”
The hearing was then moved to the next day for the man, who is charged with theft, fleeing from a peace officer, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension.
Man arrested for theft at Santa Monica Apple Store
In early March, a man was arrested and charged with grand theft and possession of stolen property after police said he took $10,745 worth of “new inventory” from the Third Street Promenade Apple Store in Santa Monica, California. Santa Monica police say employees believe the suspect “entered the store through an unsecured back door.”
Man charged with theft of 60 iPads from hospital
A man who worked as an IT contractor at a hospital in Liverpool, UK, admitted to stealing 60 iPads intended for sick children. However, the man has been spared jail time after he claimed both addiction and post-traumatic stress had survived the Hillsborough disaster.
The Hillsborough disaster was the tragic event of a 1989 football match that crushed more than 90 Liverpool fans and injured hundreds.
According to The Liverpool Echo, the man sold some of the stolen items and claimed not to know they were intended for sick children. His 18-month jail sentence was suspended and the man was also given a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
NBA player fined for throwing fan’s iPhone
Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic was fined $40,000 by the NBA for throwing what appeared to be a fan’s iPhone after a game in Indiana on March 21, NBC Sports reports. Nurkic, who was injured and in plain clothes, confronted a con man who had insulted his mother and grandmother, competition sources told Yahoo Sports.
The incident has not resulted in criminal charges.
Professional football player robbed of Apple Watch
A professional football player was robbed of several items in mid-March, including his Apple Watch. According to Massive Report, Derrick Etienne, Jr. of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew in downtown Columbus robbed by nine men, who also attacked him.
Among the stolen items were his Apple Watch, a gold chain and money. Etienne was unharmed and practiced as scheduled the next day.
Ex-rugby star charged with using grandfather’s iPad to illegally transfer money
In other news about athletes and crime related to Apple devices, a former star of the New Zealand national rugby union team is charged with a series of crimes, including a series of money transfers from his grandfather’s iPad to his own accounts.
The New Zealand Herald writes that Zac Guildford, who formerly played for the team known as the All Blacks, defrauded a friend of $60,000. This was part of a wider plan to hide the fact that he had transferred $41,400 from his grandfather’s iPad to himself.
Guildford had stolen to fuel a “secret gambling addiction,” according to the publication. A name suppression order, the paper said, had kept Guildford’s name out of the press until recently.
Michigan party store armed robber may have sold stolen iPhone to minor
According to MLive, the stolen item was a black iPhone XR, with a cracked screen, and parents were asked to check their children’s iPhones.
This post Crime blotter: Federal indictment for foreign sales of stolen iPhones
was original published at “https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/03/27/crime-blotter-federal-indictment-for-foreign-sales-of-stolen-iphones?utm_medium=rss”
