CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two Charlotte-based business owners are facing 46 months behind bars after allegedly buying thousands of stolen iPhones and other electronics, and selling them to customers worldwide.
According to an Aug. 30 statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Hamzeh Jamal Alasfar and Tayseer Issam Alkhayyat made about $20 million in an illegal phone scheme that took place from 2013-2020.
The pair used multiple businesses, including Cellport International Inc. on Stuart Andrew Boulevard in southwest Charlotte, to move more than 20,000 devices, the Justice Department said.
They also sold the cellphones out of a business front called D Town Wireless, which was located on Sugar Creek Road, court records show.
The department said the plot involved purchasing new iPhones, many of which were still sealed in the box, "at prices significantly below retail value from individuals who obtained the devices through fraud and theft."
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said it partnered with the Secret Service to take down the illicit business.
Both men pleaded guilty to interstate and foreign transportation of stolen property on March 3.
In addition to the 46 months of prison time, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Alasfar and Alkhayyat to three years of court supervision after they are released.
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