Scammers who stole Apple Gift Cards worth $1.5 million are sentenced to thirteen years in prison, collectively.
In September 2021, it was reported that a group of three criminals, Tout-Puissant, Ali Syed, and an unnamed accomplice stole Apple Gift Cards from different Apple locations to purchase products worth $1.5 million. Tout-Puissant stole several Apple Store employees’ sales devices called “Isaac”, a handheld device that is used at the stores for quick payments to avoid long queues at checkouts. And while staying connected to the store’s WiFi, he sent multiple Apple Gift Cards to his Ali Syed. Later, Syed redeemed those Gift Cards worth thousands of dollars at Apple locations in different states and in their two-year crime spree, stole $1.5 million.
Two men sentenced to 13 years combined for the Apple Gifts Cards scam
In a press release issued by the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Texas it is stated that Tout-Puissant and Ali Syed confessed to committing wire fraud and signed a plea to serve 13 years in prison, combined. However, the third unindicted coconspirator has not been brought to justice.
U.S. Attorney, Chad Meacham said that the criminals were under the wrong impression that their fraud will go unnoticed because they had targeted a $3 trillion company and the Justice Department will not tolerate fraud against any company.
“If these defendants thought their million-dollar fraud would go unnoticed simply because they targeted a trillion-dollar company, they were sorely mistaken. The Justice Department will not tolerate fraud against any company, be it a multinational corporation or a mom-and-pop operation. We are grateful to our FBI partners for their work on this case.”
“The FBI is committed to tackling fraud schemes from every angle, and today the defendants will now be held accountable,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “This carefully orchestrated scheme resulted in financial loss for a large corporation, and that fraud also victimizes American consumers.”
