In the fall of 2020, robbers struck more than 20 AT & T, T-Mobile, and Verizon mobile phone stores in the Dallas / Fort Worth area and Houston.
Armed hijacker robbers lost more than $ 500,000 as suspects were able to store their new Apple iPhone safes. From Colleyville to Corinth and from Garland to Greenville, the robbery lasted for months.
Finally, officials said the FBI and Dallas police arrested four members of the crew after robbing the AT & T store in Fort Worth in December.
Their arrest led investigators to discover a much larger criminal plot. Phone trafficking A company worth nearly $ 100 million, according to an indictment opened in the Texas Federal Court this week.
“The criminal conspiracy is breathtaking and can be done in a variety of ways, as alleged in the replaced indictment,” Nicholas Gunjay, Deputy Federal Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, said in a statement. Said. “People can often see criminal activity” on the surface, “but this case reminds us that we often don’t see criminal plots hidden” on the surface. “
Fortworth robbery investigators allegedly obtained an investigation warrant for discovering an uncovered cell phone stolen earlier that night, a phone call from three other robbers, and a device obtained by fraud. Says. From there, the study focused on Global One Wireless, a Dallas phone store owned by Plano brothers Abdul Basit Bhangda (30) and Arsalan “Adam” Bhangda (36).
The brothers have been accused of selling the stolen goods internationally through their parent company, RJ Telecom, by shipping them to importers in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. Nearly $ 100 million of products have been sold to foreign importers, according to the indictment. This includes phones, tablets, laptops and smart watches.
As part of the plot, officials said employees in “compromise” stores used fake identities to activate their phones and fraudulently add lines to their existing customer accounts.
In a news release, a federal prosecutor said, “Other schemes use fake identity and legitimate customer information to exchange SIM cards, defendants verify bank information by text message, and fund from customer accounts. I made it possible to pull it out. “
The indictment has charged 101 defendants with various crimes, including plots that obstruct interstate commerce. Interference in interstate commerce; use or wielding of firearms during violent crimes. A conspiracy to transport property stolen by interstate commerce. Email fraud conspiracy; Transfer fraud conspiracy; Money laundering conspiracy.
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