US Nabs 13 Suspects For Stealing Phone Shipments Across Country

The US says it’s charged 13 suspects involved in stealing thousands of packages containing iPhones and other electronics. 

The criminal ring allegedly targeted Fedex and other companies by finding ways to identify valuable shipments and stealing them from delivery addresses, according to the US attorney’s office for the district of New Jersey. 

The thefts were widespread, targeting addresses across the country, and “caused millions of dollars of losses to the victims,” Acting US Attorney for the District Vikas Khann said. The stolen products, which included iPads, Samsung phones and other devices, were then resold in locations including the Bronx and Brooklyn.

The charged suspects include 37-year-old Demetrio Reyes Martinez of the Dominican Republic and 12 other individuals from New York and New Jersey. Specifically, Reyes Martinez developed a computer program to scrape data from customer-facing order tracking systems from Fedex and an unnamed cellular carrier, with the goal of identifying potentially valuable packages. 

The criminal ring also resorted to bribing retail store employees 45-year-old Alejandro Then Castillo and 28-year-old Wilson Peralta Tavarez to supply confidential information about customers, “including orders, names, tracking numbers, and delivery addresses,” federal investigators said. Then Castillo and Peralta Tavarez were also charged as part of the criminal ring. 

(AvailableLight via Getty)

One part of the criminal network focused on obtaining and selling the delivery data while the other purchased the information to steal the packages. Four of the charged suspects allegedly “traveled around the country stealing iPhones, iPads, Samsung phones and other electronic devices,” US officials added. 

To nab the criminal ring, the US attorney’s office for the district of New Jersey said it worked with FBI agents and a wide range of police departments across the country to “identify, surveil, and arrest individuals involved in package theft” within the state. 

All 13 suspects were charged with at least conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the financial gain or loss caused by the offense. A few of the suspects also face charges for committing wire fraud conspiracy and additional counts for transporting stolen property, which could lead to more jail time and an additonal fine. 

The Justice Department made the announcement after unsealing a criminal complaint against the suspects. The complaint doesn’t appear to be public yet. But eight of the charged individuals were set to appear in court on Wednesday.

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About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

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