Arrest in connection with the theft of 280 iPhones

Apple products are an attractive target for crime, and their ubiquity means they’re ubiquitous in other crimes too. In this week’s roundup, the mastermind of a massive iPhone theft ring was arrested, a London man filmed and posted an attempted iPhone theft, and more!

The latest from an occasional AppleInsider Series that takes a look at the world of Apple-related crime.

Arrest in connection with the theft of 280 iPhones in April in New Jersey

A New Jersey man was arrested for his involvement in the robbery of 280 iPhones valued at approximately $117,000 on April 18.

Accordingly New Jersey 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.

Using automatic license plate reading technology, the car was traced back to the 28-year-old man, who was arrested and charged with burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools, criminal damage and two counts of conspiracy.

The phone of the man who shot Trump was not an iPhone

Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13, there was the usual controversy surrounding the suspect’s smartphone and whether law enforcement would be able to crack it.

Numerous news reports and FBI statements indicated that the government had managed to break into the phone relatively quickly, making a dispute over encryption unnecessary.

For nearly a week, there was no information about which phone belonged to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the now-deceased man authorities named as the attempted assassin. Bloomberg News reported on July 18 that the phone is “a newer Samsung model running the Android operating system.”

The report said authorities used Cellebrite software to access the phone. The local FBI office had a Cellebrite license, but 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 has reported that a “second cell phone” was found in the Crooks’ home, but the device was not identified.

Londoner films attempted iPhone theft

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

Stolen Apple Watch leads to arrest of three suspects in Boston hair salon robbery

A Boston SWAT team investigating the armed robbery of a hair salon was able to make arrests after tracing a stolen Apple Watch to the suspects’ hideout.

Accordingly The Boston HeraldPolice followed the signal to a location in the Dorchester neighborhood where they saw the car used in the robbery. Police arrived, arrested two suspects and “used gas and flash grenades” to free the third suspect.

In addition to the Apple Watch and a large amount of cash, the hair salon robbers stole “a pistol, gold chains, wallets, debit cards (and) rings,” according to the newspaper.

Suspect convicted of stealing Apple Watch from Walmart

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

Accordingly Fox 11 OnlineThe man pleaded guilty to charges of robbery with violence and shoplifting. The other two suspects received similar sentences a month earlier.

Pickpockets stole credit card from restaurant and later used it at Apple Store in Nashville

Surveillance video shows a woman in downtown Nashville pickpocketing another woman, stealing her credit card from her purse and later attempting to use it at an Apple Store.

Accordingly WSMVThe woman whose card was stolen didn’t even realize anything was wrong until she received a call from her credit card company informing her that someone was trying to make a large purchase at the downtown Apple Store.

Man arrested for stealing iPhone from Florida real estate office

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

Naples police traced the iPhone to a boutique, where they found and arrested the man.

Suspect sought for iPad theft in Louisiana

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

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

Massachusetts man accused of stealing iPhone and iPad

A Massachusetts man who used to work as a chiropractor was arrested after he was caught on surveillance video stealing an iPad and an iPhone from a local church.

Accordingly The Solar ChronicleThe theft occurred in April, and church members recognized the man on surveillance video as “Dr. Gene.” The man also faces separate charges of burglary.