Crime blotter: Pro wrestlers' Find My iPhone expedition ends predictably
In the latest Apple Crime Blotter, an arrest is made in a 2021 Apple Store theft, an iPhone warehouse theft, and one state bans filming the police.
The Apple Store in Greenwich
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
According to The Register Citizen, police have made an arrest in an Apple Store break-in that took place in August of 2021. $12,000 in merchandise was taken, including 13 iPhones and a set of headphones. A 22-year-old man, already in jail on an unrelated charge, was charged with third-degree burglary and second-degree larceny.
PW Insider reports the wrestlers, known as Bryan Idol and Natalia Markova of the NWA, were flying to Florida and noticed that Markova's purse had been stolen after landing. The two realized Markova's AirPods were in the purse and used Find My iPhone, ultimately tracking the purse to a Walmart 40 minutes away.
When they arrived, Markova received an alert indicating that her credit card was being used.
Perhaps true to their profession, the two confronted the thief and tackled him.
Now, Arizona has passed a law to make it illegal to film law enforcement activity within eight feet. According to Axios, the new law is meant to "protect police officers from harm."
Numerous groups, including the ACLU, have called the new law unconstitutional.
A bill in Ohio, in 2021, would have instituted a similar ban, but it was amended following a public controversy.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office described the items as "92 factory-sealed Apple devices," which appeared to mostly be various MacBooks.
The Delaware County Times says police found a blue Volkswagen reportedly involved in the crime. In it, they discovered a distinctive Rose Gold Apple Watch.
When the car was turned on, the watch synched with the car stereo, bringing up the nickname "Big 53." After an Apple search warrant, that handle was tracked to an individual, who was later arrested for the murder.
The man, who was drugged with GHB, lost over $52,500 worth of items, including the iPhone, two expensive watches, and $1,000 in cash.
The same man had been convicted in 2002 on similar charges.
A separate break-in involved the theft of a MacBook Air.
According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, part of the evidence that convicted the man came from his iCloud account, in which the man "showed off a stack of some $200,000 while his girlfriend warned him that he should not be videotaping himself with so much cash."
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The Apple Store in Greenwich
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
Arrest made in smash-and-grab at Apple Store in Greenwich
Smash-and-grab thefts at Apple Store locations have become relatively rare of late. But an arrest was made in one this week, from a theft that took place last August.According to The Register Citizen, police have made an arrest in an Apple Store break-in that took place in August of 2021. $12,000 in merchandise was taken, including 13 iPhones and a set of headphones. A 22-year-old man, already in jail on an unrelated charge, was charged with third-degree burglary and second-degree larceny.
Pro wrestlers use Find My iPhone to recover stolen AirPods
A man and woman who happen to work as professional wrestlers used Find My iPhone to successfully track down the woman's purse after it was stolen on a plane.PW Insider reports the wrestlers, known as Bryan Idol and Natalia Markova of the NWA, were flying to Florida and noticed that Markova's purse had been stolen after landing. The two realized Markova's AirPods were in the purse and used Find My iPhone, ultimately tracking the purse to a Walmart 40 minutes away.
When they arrived, Markova received an alert indicating that her credit card was being used.
Perhaps true to their profession, the two confronted the thief and tackled him.
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The stolen items were recovered, but while police arrested the man, the wrestlers declined to press charges.Arizona law makes it illegal to film the police within eight feet
Numerous cases of police misconduct in recent years have been captured with smartphone cameras, including the killing of George Floyd, which was filmed with an iPhone.Now, Arizona has passed a law to make it illegal to film law enforcement activity within eight feet. According to Axios, the new law is meant to "protect police officers from harm."
Numerous groups, including the ACLU, have called the new law unconstitutional.
A bill in Ohio, in 2021, would have instituted a similar ban, but it was amended following a public controversy.
Two charged with theft of nearly 100 Apple devices from warehouse
Two men in Florida were charged in late June with stealing nearly 100 Apple devices from a Best Buy warehouse in Texas. According to Wear TV, the two men were caught when they were pulled over in a stolen vehicle, one that also contained drugs.The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office described the items as "92 factory-sealed Apple devices," which appeared to mostly be various MacBooks.
Apple Watch may have helped solve a murder
A 2021 murder that took place in Upper Darby, Pa., near Philadelphia, may have been solved due to an Apple Watch that was left in a car tied to the case.The Delaware County Times says police found a blue Volkswagen reportedly involved in the crime. In it, they discovered a distinctive Rose Gold Apple Watch.
When the car was turned on, the watch synched with the car stereo, bringing up the nickname "Big 53." After an Apple search warrant, that handle was tracked to an individual, who was later arrested for the murder.
Man has iPhone, other items stolen by a woman he met at a bar
A man, having spent a night with "a red-headed woman he met at a Fort Lauderdale bar," woke up to find various valuables stolen, including his iPhone 12 Pro, The Miami Herald reported.The man, who was drugged with GHB, lost over $52,500 worth of items, including the iPhone, two expensive watches, and $1,000 in cash.
Evidence from seized iPhone used in child pornography indictment
A Massachusetts man has been indicted on federal child pornography charges after authorities seized his iPhone and laptop and found the offending images.The same man had been convicted in 2002 on similar charges.
Apple products burglarized from Harvard dorms
The Harvard University Police Department has warned of a series of break-ins and thefts in the university's dorms. The Boston Globe reports one break-in at Wigglesworth Hall resulted in thefts of an Apple iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and a pair of Airpods.A separate break-in involved the theft of a MacBook Air.
iCloud video used to convict FaceTime-using drug dealer
A 50-year-old Pennsylvania man described as a "recidivist drug-ring leader" was sentenced to 15 years in prison on drug charges. The man, per a news report, often used FaceTime to confer with underlings, rather than texts or phone calls.According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, part of the evidence that convicted the man came from his iCloud account, in which the man "showed off a stack of some $200,000 while his girlfriend warned him that he should not be videotaping himself with so much cash."
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Comments
But I also think the law has only been written from that one perspective (or perhaps a very limited set of perspectives) rather than taking a holistic view that accounts for just about every conceivable circumstance. Did everyone assume that anything a police officer does is prima facie well-intentioned, legal and beyond question?
Law makers need the equivalent of a penetration test rather than relying on the courts to find vulnerabilities.