A $2 million iPhone heist in Florida

A British political adviser’s stolen iPhone results in a scandal, professional athletes fall for an iCloud rip-off, and iCloud proof is used towards a person accused of stalking the FBI director’s girlfriend, all on this week’s Apple Crime Blotter.

Welcome to an occasional AppleInsider characteristic, wanting on the world of Apple-related crime.

$2 million iPhone heist in Florida

A 64-year-old man in Florida has been charged with the heist of almost $2 million in iPhones, which have been taken from a FedEx facility in Doral.

In accordance with NBC Miami, Jeffrey Moore has been accused of taking 38 packing containers of iPhone 17 Professional Max telephones from the FedEx facility, amounting to almost 1,800 units.

The power, two days earlier, had acquired a name from a person claiming that his warehouse was “unable to obtain deliveries they usually wished staff to select up a cargo.” On March 19, per the legal criticism, Moore confirmed up on the facility with “a photograph ID badge on his chest and worker ID,” in addition to a U-Haul truck.

Because the theft was in progress, the true supervisor confirmed up and advised FedEx to cease the theft, though by that time Moore and an confederate had fled, per the report. He was stopped in Alachua County, greater than 300 miles north, later that day.

After he was extradited to Miami-Dade County, Moore was charged with grand theft, conspiracy to commit grand theft, and arranged scheme to defraud.

A row within the U.Ok. over the prime minister’s ex-chief’s stolen iPhone

Morgan McSweeney, the previous chief of employees to British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, had his government-issued iPhone stolen in October of 2025. Months later, the misplaced system has turn into a part of a massive political controversy that traces again to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Per Sky Information, the misplaced iPhone means the lack of any messages McSweeney exchanged with Lord Peter Mandelson, the previous British ambassador to the U.S., who was faraway from his put up in September over the revelations about his ties to Epstein. Mandelson was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public workplace, and the British authorities had compelled the discharge of “all papers and communications” associated to Mandelson’s time in workplace.

As well as, the mistaken handle was recorded when McSweeney reported the theft of the telephone to the police, and he didn’t disclose that he was the prime minister’s chief of employees.

Man posing as feminine porn star focused iCloud accounts of professional athletes utilizing phishing rip-off

A person posing as a feminine grownup movie star has been accused of operating a phishing rip-off that focused the iCloud accounts of NFL and NBA gamers.

Per The Athletic, federal prosecutors in Georgia have indicted 34-year-old Georgia man Kwamaine Jerell Ford, who had been beforehand convicted in 2019 of “hacking into greater than 100 Apple accounts belonging to athletes and rappers,” and prosecutors say he started the following legal scheme whereas incarcerated.

Ford has now been charged with 9 counts of wire fraud, seven counts of pc fraud, one depend of entry system fraud, 4 counts of aggravated id theft, and one cost of intercourse trafficking.

Prosecutors say the phishing rip-off concerned each impersonating a well-liked feminine grownup movie star, whereas additionally posing as an Apple buyer help consultant, to achieve entry to iCloud accounts. The indictment doesn’t title any athletes who have been focused.

“Whereas serving time for stealing bank card numbers from athletes and celebrities to fund his life-style, Ford allegedly engaged in the identical conduct once more,” U.S. Legal professional Theodore S. Hertzberg mentioned in a press release.

“Disturbingly, the indictment alleges that Ford went even additional and used a fraudulent on-line persona to allegedly site visitors a younger lady and coerce her to supply hidden digicam movies of business intercourse acts with unknowing people.”

iCloud proof used towards man charged with stalking FBI director’s girlfriend

FBI Director Kash Patel had his e-mail hacked, reportedly by Iranian hackers, in late March.

Additionally in March, a 35-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested for threatening Patel’s girlfriend, singer Alexis Wilkins.

In accordance with Boston Globe, the FBI arrested the person after he despatched the threatening messages “utilizing an anonymized e-mail from an Apple iCloud account.”

The person had written “watch your again” to Wilkins and different threatening messages. He appeared in courtroom on March 13 and pleaded not responsible to a single depend of transmitting a risk in interstate commerce.

Girl fights $2,100 iPad invoice

A Nebraska lady believes she is the sufferer of scammers, after her id was stolen final yr, with thieves utilizing an “previous account” to fraudulently buy an 11-inch iPad Professional.

WOWT explains she has been receiving payments for the system with rising curiosity, to the purpose the place she now owes $2,100. The girl, per the report, has “made a police report, despatched in varied authorities rip-off complaints, and stuffed out an id theft sufferer’s criticism and affidavit.” However the state of affairs stays unresolved.

After the TV station reached out, nonetheless, AT&T mentioned it had “escalated” the criticism.

‘Buffy’ actor, shortly earlier than his loss of life, was accused of putting an AirTag on a contractor

Nicholas Brendon, an actor greatest identified for showing on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, handed away on March 20, on the age of 54. Brendon was reportedly discovered lifeless in his house in Indiana.

Simply over per week earlier than that, Brendon was within the information for a authorized case involving his dispute with a contractor. Per Individuals, Brendan was accused in March courtroom papers of putting an AirTag on the particular person of a contractor who was renovating his house.

Brendan had earlier sued the contractor’s enterprise for $120,000, alleging there was unfinished work.

In December, after discovering the AirTag, the contractor positioned a Civil Stalking Safety Order towards the actor.

Three years later, $500,000 Alderwood Apple Retailer break-in stays unsolved

It was one of the crucial high-profile Apple Retailer robberies of current years: On April 2, 2023, burglars broke into the Alderwood Mall Apple Retailer in Lynnwood, Wash., by reducing by the toilet wall of an adjoining espresso machine retailer.

The theft netted $500,000 in merchandise, together with 436 iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.

The theft marked its third anniversary on Thursday, and it stays unsolved.

“I do recall that case,” a spokesman for the Lynnwood Police Division advised AppleInsider. “That case is presently inactive resulting from an absence of proof/investigative leads. I do not know if federal authorities did work past this.”

A spokeswoman for the divisionhad advised AppleInsider in 2024 that that they had heard the case was “being labored on on the federal stage.”

Suspect sought in iPad theft from Greenback Tree

Police in Odessa, Tex, are searching for a person who they are saying stole a $500 iPad from a Greenback Tree retailer.

KDH Information stories the theft befell on March 20.

AirPods stolen in broad daylight

In Kawana Waters, in Australia, on March 20, a person stole a pair of AirPods from a boy, with the complete theft in broad daylight and caught on video.

Per Cairns Publish, the thief repeatedly requested the boy to empty his bag and threw one of many AirPods on the bottom. The sufferer then informs a passing lady, who tells him, “You want to transfer on.”