Arrested for stealing 280 iPhones

Apple Store in Downtown Nashville

The latest from the occasional Apple Insider a series looking at the world of crime related to Apple.

A New Jersey man was arrested for his involvement in the April 18 theft of 280 iPhones worth approximately $117,000.

According to New York 101.5the theft occurred at United Tower Associates, an electronics wholesaler. Two men got out of a gold minivan and smashed a window with a hammer and crowbar.

Automatic number plate reading technology was used to locate the car and identify the 28-year-old man, who was arrested and charged with burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools, a driving offence and two counts of conspiracy.

After the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13, the usual controversy erupted over the suspect’s smartphone and whether law enforcement would be able to hack it.

A number of press reports, as well as statements from the FBI, suggest that the government managed to hack the phone relatively quickly, making the fight over encryption unnecessary.

Although almost a week has passed and there has been no information about what type of phone call was received from Thomas Matthew Crooks, the now deceased man authorities have named as the alleged killer, Bloomberg News reported on July 18 that the phone is “a newer Samsung model that runs on the Android operating system.”

The report said authorities used Cellebrite software to gain access to the phone. Although the local FBI office had a Cellebrite license, it did not work with the device. Cellebrite then provided a software update that included “additional technical support and new software that was still being developed.”

CBS News reported that a “second cellphone” was found at Crooks’ home, but that the device had not been identified.

The 23-year-old Londoner, who works as a musician, was filming on July 4 when a masked cyclist approached him and tried to steal his iPhone. Jonas Yoo posted a video of the incident on TikTok:

A Boston SWAT team investigating an armed robbery of a barbershop made arrests after a stolen Apple Watch led to the suspects’ hideout.

According to The Boston HeraldPolice followed a tip-off to a location in the Dorchester neighborhood where they saw the car involved in the robbery. Police moved in, arrested two suspects, and “used tear gas and stun grenades” to get the third suspect out.

In addition to an Apple Watch and a large amount of cash, the robbers took “guns, gold chains, wallets, debit cards and rings,” the newspaper reported.

In other Apple Watch theft news, a Michigan man was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the October 2023 theft of thousands of dollars worth of Apple Watches from a Walmart store in Wisconsin.

According to Fox 11 onlineThe man pleaded guilty without contest to charges of aggravated robbery and retail theft. The other two suspects in that crime received similar sentences a month earlier.

A woman was caught on camera robbing another woman in downtown Nashville by stealing her credit card out of her purse and then trying to use it at an Apple Store.

According to WSMVThe woman whose card was stolen didn’t even notice anything was wrong until she got a call from her credit card company saying someone was trying to make a large purchase at the downtown Apple Store.

A 31-year-old from Florida has been arrested for stealing an iPhone from a Berkshire Hathaway real estate agency. WFLAThe man posed as a potential home buyer, then took the iPhone and hid it in sales brochures.

The Naples Police Department tracked the iPhone and led it to the boutique where the man was found and arrested.

Police in Lafayette, Louisiana, are searching for a suspect who police say stole an iPad Pro from a local Best Buy store in July.

According to Lafayette Crime Stoppers, the man cut the display cable and took the iPad Pro.

A Massachusetts man who once worked as a chiropractor was arrested after surveillance cameras captured him stealing an iPad and an iPhone from a local church.

According to Chronicle of the Sunthe theft occurred in April, and church members identified the man in surveillance footage as “Dr. Gene.” The man also faces separate charges of breaking and entering.