Apple Crime Log: Campaign Sign AirTags, Instacart iPad Scam, and Fauci’s iPhone
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It’s that time again! No, not hay fever season, although it’s that time, too. No, it’s time to once again do a deep dive into the blotter for crimes related to Apple products. This time around, we find out how a hidden AirTag led to the arrest of a county commissioner, two men attempted to buy Apple products with stolen credit cards, and more.
Hidden AirTag in Stolen Campaign Sign Leads to Arrest of County Commissioner
While it’s almost a tradition in American politics to steal your opponent’s lawn signs, seldom do such thefts lead to any charges being pressed. However, it’s a different story when an AirTag is hidden in one of the lawn signs.
WKRN in Nashville, Tennessee, reports that Rutherford County Commissioner Romel McMurry surrendered to authorities on July 20, over a theft arrest warrant for stealing a sign promoting his opponent, Pat Clements.
Clements told police that following a series of sign thefts, he placed an AirTag in one of his signs.
“I cut a small hole in the bottom of it, and I tucked an AirTag in it, put a piece of tape underneath the bottom,” Clements explained.
When the sign went missing, it pinged to a location near McMurry’s home.
“I was shocked… Being the first time I’m running for political office, I was expecting more fairness,” Clements told News 2.
McMurry told the station that he had not stolen the sign, but instead had “relocated” it.
“It looked like all the signs had been taken up from a particular location, and there was I think just one or two that were still left and his [sign] was one of them,” McMurry explained. “And so I was like, you know, I guess he took mine up, so I just picked his up, and I took it on down the street to a different spot… again, to a spot that has other signs as well. And so it was never stolen. It was just relocated.”
McMurry later clarified he’s not accusing Clements of stealing his signs. He also denied taking Clements’ campaign sign to his home.
Police in Search of Duo That Tried Using Stolen Credit Cards at Miami-area Apple Store
South Miami police are in search of a pair of men who they say stole a wallet from an unlocked vehicle. The duo later attempted to use credit cards from that wallet at the Apple Store at Dadeland Mall, as well as a liquor store.
CBS Miami reports that on July 8, a woman was jogging at a local park around 5:30 p.m. While she was away from her vehicle, the two male suspects allegedly broke into it and stole her wallet, which contained several credit cards.
Around an hour later, the two men unsuccessfully tried to use the stolen cards to purchase “$2,500 worth of items at the Apple Store.” However, a second purchase for $1,285 did go through.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m., the victim began receiving alerts indicating her stolen cards were being used.
At the liquor store, a second defendant was seen using a stolen credit card to purchase at least $130 worth of items.
One of the suspects was described as “a heavy-set man in his 50s or 60s, wearing a baseball cap.” Surveillance video captured clear images of one of the suspects.
Anyone with information regarding the identity or whereabouts of the suspects is asked to call the South Miami Police Department or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
“We are worried there are other victims out there of fraudulent charges,” Detective Del Sol added. “We believe they have done this before. They know exactly how to go straight to the stores.”
Senate Committee Obtains Backup of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s iPhone
The Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has obtained a copy of the iPhone used by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the time he led the US’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reports the Department of Health and Human Services transferred the copy of Fauci’s iPhone to the subcommittee.
The government-issued device was originally returned to DHS when Fauci retired from government service in 2022. However, the handover of the device’s backup copy comes on the heels of Fauci’s recent Congressional testimony in July, during which he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee later voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, and referred a potential criminal case to the Department of Justice.
Man’s Bogus Instacart Order Allows Him to Steal $5K in iPads From Target
A 21-year-old Detroit man was arrested in Burnsville, Minnesota, on charges that he used a fake Instacart order to steal $5,300 worth of iPads from a local Target store.
Limitless News reports the incident took place on July 4. The man arrived at the store and showed an employee what he claimed was an Instacart order on his phone, saying he was there to pick up an order of four iPads. The man then visited the electronics section of the store, where he picked up the iPads, and then “placed his phone face-down on one of the register scanners” before exiting. However, investigators determined “no transaction occurred” when he placed the phone on the scanner.
The suspect — Kevin Donte Wilson of Detroit, Michigan — also has three pending cases elsewhere in Minnesota for executing a similar scam at other Target locations. A Dakota County judge set Wilson’s bail at $10,000.
More Target Fun: Teens Arrested for Multiple iPad Thefts from Omaha Store
In other Target/iPad theft news, three teenagers from Omaha are accused of stealing multiple iPads from a Target store in Omaha. Cops say the trio were also linked to additional thefts, as well as an attempted counterfeit money scam. KLIN reports that four teenagers were in the store with backpacks. When police arrived, the group ran out of the front of the store, ditching the backpacks while fleeing. Three teens were captured, while the fourth escaped.
The teenagers are accused of taking 17 iPads, with a total value of $14,000. In addition, they are also accused of using counterfeit currency at two local stores and stealing from a Nike store that same day.
Eighteen-year-old Siidi Adan of Omaha was arrested and booked into the Lancaster County Jail on charges of felony shoplifting, first-degree forgery, and obstructing a peace officer.
His 16- and 17-year-old partners in crime, also from Omaha, were taken to the Youth Services Center where they are being held for theft by shoplifting over $5,000, obstructing a police officer, attempted first-degree forgery and theft by shoplifting $1,500–$5,000.
