This Porch Pirate Criminal Network Stole Thousands of iPhones in the US
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The US Department of Justice has cracked down on a thirteen-member international crime ring responsible for the theft of expensive electronics like the iPhone, reports Mactrast.
The international criminal network conspired to steal FedEx shipments of iPhones from buyers’ porches within minutes of their delivery. The gang’s automated scripts would scrape delivery information from FedEx tracking systems while also bribing AT&T employees to share confidential information from a company order tracking system.
Several members of the criminal network, known as “dispatchers,” would harvest and sell the information to other members, known as “runners,” who then used the shipping information to steal the iPhones from customers’ porches and doorsteps within minutes of being delivered.
Three members of the gang received some of the stolen devices at a location in the Bronx neighborhood of New York. Another bad actor would receive deliveries of more stolen handsets from around the United States at a location in Brooklyn.
The gang began to fall apart when two of the gang’s runners sent a package to a local FedEx store, stating there were baby clothes inside. However, when suspicious FedEx security agents opened the package, they found several stolen iPhones and confiscated the devices. FedEx sent the package through the system to its destination, where another gang member was brazen enough to complain to FedEx customer service that his shipment of iPhones had been stolen.
Demetrio Reyes Martinez, a/k/a “CookieNerd,” 37, of the Dominican Republic; Andrickson Jerez, 28, of Bronx, NY; Edickson Lora Castillo, 24, of New York, NY; Raimond Cabrera De Leon, 31, of New York, NY; Luis Marte Tavares, 33, of Brooklyn, NY; Frederick Duverge Guzman, 26, of New York, NY; rgJulio Vasquez Sanchez, a/k/a “BotTrack,” 30, of Brooklyn, NY; Alejandro Then Castillo, 45, of Paterson, NJ; Wilson Peralta Tavarez, 28, of Belleville, NJ; Ecker Montero Hernandez, 25, of Paterson, NJ; Jean Luis Diaz Dominguez, a/k/a “Botija,” 24, of Paterson, NJ; Luis Nunez, 23, of Paterson, NJ; and Joel Suriel, a/k/a “La Melma,” 31, of Brooklyn, NY, were each charged in Count One of the Criminal Complaint unsealed today with conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property.
“These defendants are alleged to have worked together as part of an international ring to steal thousands of expensive electronic devices, which caused millions of dollars of losses to the victims,” said Acting United States Attorney Vikas Khanna. “They are alleged to have done so by harnessing technology through the use of computer scripts which gave them access to shipping information, including individuals’ names and their home addresses. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue these types of criminals no matter where in the world they are and seek justice for their victims.”
FedEx and AT&T both cooperated with law enforcement to locate and capture all of the members of the criminal gang. FedEx said in a statement that it has been proactively working with police to “address the rise of porch piracy.” For its part, an AT&T spokesperson said that the company regularly updates its processes and employee training in an ongoing effort to thwart criminal tactics.
Every member of the gang who participated in the scheme has been arrested and charged, with some of the gang facing up to 20 years in the hoosegow.
