An Apple watch stolen at a local mall was part of a nationwide theft ring, federal court documents say
Four Ecuadorian men accused of stealing hundreds of Apple Watches from a delivery truck at a local store are facing federal charges.
Alexander Wilson Diaz-Remaschi, Jonathan Eduardo Remaschi-Diaz, Alvaro Oswaldo Loayza-Alvarez, and Gustavo Daniel Vinueza-Bueno were charged with intentionally conspiring to steal interstate shipments from a carrier; Intentionally, intentionally and unlawfully stealing 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.
The documents state that three of the four men entered the country on travel visas and established a “base of operations for their illegal activities” with Díaz-Rimaci in California. From there, the men allegedly made stops in several states throughout the district, including Maryland, Ohio and Virginia, to steal jewelry and Apple products from delivery trucks at malls, including the Greentown Center in Beavercreek.
A US District Court spokesman said the men would take the items to resell on the black market.
In September, the men allegedly stole more than 300 Apple Watches from a FedEx truck that was making deliveries to an Apple Store in The Greene.
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At Beavercreek, like other locations, “one or more members of the group would often distract the delivery driver while others broke into the delivery truck and took portions of its cargo,” court documents state. One or more members monitor police or security.
A few days after the robbery at The Greene, the men began following a UPS truck into the mall at Fairfield Commons “with the intent of stealing the cross-border shipment inside.” Online jail records show Beavercreek police arrested the men that day near the mall.
Court records indicate they were staying at an Airbnb in Centerville when the alleged theft occurred.
“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 U.S. District Court spokesperson said.
