Apple watch theft at local shopping center was part of nationwide theft ring, federal court docs say
Four Ecuadorian men accused of stealing hundreds of Apple watches from a truck making a delivery to a local store are facing federal charges.
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Alexander Wilson Diaz-Remache, Jonathan Eduardo Remache-Diaz, Alvaro Oswaldo Loaiza-Alvarez and Gustavo Daniel Vinueza-Bueno were all charged with knowingly and intentionally conspiracy to steal interstate shipments from a carrier; knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully stealing of an interstate shipment from a carrier; and knowingly transporting and carrying stolen goods in interstate commerce, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio this week.
Documents state three of the four men entered the country on travel visas and set up “a base of operation for their illegal activities” with Diaz-Remache in California. From there, the men allegedly stopped in several states across the county, including Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia, to steal jewelry and Apple products from delivery trucks at shopping centers, including The Greene Towne Center in Beavercreek.
A spokesperson for the U.S. District Court said the men would take the items to resell them on the black market.
In September, the men allegedly stole over 300 Apple watches from a FedEx truck making a delivery to the Apple Store at The Greene.
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In Beavercreek, such as the other locations, “one or more members of the group often distracted the delivery driver while the others broke into the delivery truck and removed portions of its cargo,” court documents state. One or more members would keep a lookout for police or security.
A few days after the theft at The Greene, the men began to follow a UPS truck at the Mall at Fairfield Commons “with the intent to steal the interstate shipment within it.” Online jail records show the men were arrested that day by Beavercreek Police near the mall.
Court records indicate they were staying at an Airbnb in Centerville when the alleged theft happened.
“Other thefts alleged in the indictment include approximately $300,000 in diamonds and other jewelry from a UPS truck in Rockville, Maryland, and thousands of dollars in jewelry from a UPS truck in Fairfax, Virginia,” a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court said.
