Charlotte business made $20M off stolen iPhones, owners plead guilty
Two Charlotte business owners, who bought and sold stolen phones, pleaded guilty to federal charges Thursday.
Hamzeh Jamal Alasfar, 31, and Tayseer Issam Alkhayyat, 35, owned multiple Charlotte businesses including Cellport International Inc. and D Town Wireless, according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s office.
Court documents show that the pair used Cellport to sell and ship sold more than 20,000 new iPhones from January 2019-2020. Alasfar and Alkhayyat made more than $20 million in the scheme dating back to at least 2013, according to court documents.
The business owners purchased stolen and fraudulently obtained new Apple iPhones and other devices, and then sold the devices to buyers located in other states and foreign countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s office.
Alasfar and Alkhayyat each pleaded guilty to one count of interstate and foreign transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The two men are not in custody and are released until sentencing hearings.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and the United States Secret Service investigated as part of a partnership the two organizations have to combat organized criminal groups operating in Charlotte, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
