Charlotte Man Sentenced to Over 5 Years for Selling Stolen iPhones Overseas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rami Mahmod Mhana, 46, of Charlotte, has been sentenced to 68 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in selling stolen and fraudulently obtained iPhones and other electronic devices to international buyers. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina.

In May 2023, a federal jury convicted Mhana of conspiracy, international transportation of stolen goods, and money laundering. Mhana was the owner of Wireless City Fashions, Inc. (Wireless City) and Protocol Business Group Inc. (Protocol), located on Bradford Drive in Charlotte, as well as multiple Boost Mobile stores in the area.

According to court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, Mhana operated a scheme from at least May 2017 through October 2019, where he purchased thousands of brand-new Apple iPhones and other electronic devices that were stolen or fraudulently obtained. He then sold and shipped these devices to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Hong Kong.

Court records reveal that Mhana sourced a significant portion of these devices from local "boosters," individuals who steal or fraudulently obtain goods and sell them for profit. Mhana’s Bradford Drive store was a well-known hub for boosters, where they could sell stolen devices for cash with no questions asked. Trial evidence showed that Mhana provided his employees with a price list detailing how much to pay for certain new iPhones and other electronic devices, often significantly less than retail value.

As part of his sentence, the court ordered Mhana to pay $3,649,033 in restitution to the victims of his fraud scheme. Additionally, he was ordered to forfeit $229,118 and more than 100 new, in-the-box iPhones seized during the investigation.

Mhana will report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a facility.

In a related case, two other Charlotte businessmen were sentenced in August 2023 for orchestrating a similar scheme, highlighting a broader pattern of organized criminal activity in the area.

The cases against Mhana and the other businessmen were the result of a collaborative investigation by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS). This partnership has successfully targeted significant organized criminal groups operating in Charlotte, leveraging local and federal resources to combat crimes that have the largest negative impact on the community.

Space gray iPhonePhoto byTuur Tisseghem