Charlotte business owner convicted of selling stolen iPhones, electronics overseas: DOJ

CHARLOTTE, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — A Charlotte man has been sentenced to 68 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after selling stolen and fraudulently obtained iPhones and other electronic devices overseas.

According to court documents, trial evidence and witness testimony, Rami Mahmod Mhana, 46 was the owner of Wireless City Fashions Inc. and Protocol Business Group Inc., located at 441 Bradford Drive in Charlotte as well as multiple Boost mobile stores in the Charlotte area.

From at least May 2017 through October 2019, Mhana purchased thousands of new Apple iPhones and other electronics that were stolen and fraudulently obtained. Mhana then sold and shipped the iPhones to the United Arab Emirates and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong).

Court records show that Mhana obtained a significant portion of stolen electronics from multiple local “boosters”. A booster is a person who steals or obtains fraudulent goods and products and sells them for a profit.

Mhana’s store on Bradford Drive was known to local boosters as a place to sell stolen devices for cash with no questions asked. As trial evidence established, Mhana provided his staff with a pricelist for certain new iPhones and other devices, which was significantly less than retail value.

In May 2023, Mhana was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy, international transportation of stolen goods and money laundering.

The court ordered Mhana to pay restitution in the amount of $3,649,033 to the victims of the scheme. He was also ordered to forfeit $229,118 and more than 100 new iPhones seized during the investigation.

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

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