New developments in two different California Apple Store thefts, Shawn Kemp is sentenced in an iPhone-related shooting, and two Facebook Marketplace thefts with counterfeit money in this week's Apple Crime Blotter.

The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.

Hong Kong Apple Store ex-employee gets 13 months

A man who formerly worked at the Causeway Bay Apple Store in Hong Kong has been sentenced to more than a year in jail for stealing from the store, where he ran iPhone inventory.

According to Hong Kong Free Press, the man was accused of stealing 44 iPhones in a three-month period in 2020. He was arrested and fired in early 2021, and has admitted that he brought the phones to the Mong Kok night market and sold them.

He was caught after a supervisor noticed the iPhones were missing, and later caught the employee on CCTV footage. He went on to make a bank transfer in the amount of what he stole.

The man was sentenced to 13 months in jail and to pay HK$32,000 (about $4,100) to his former employer.

Two arrested in QR code-enabled MacBook thefts

Two arrests have been made in the series of thefts of MacBooks in Southern California in late 2024, which were carried out using QR codes.

Sergeant Jose Barajas with the Glendale Police Department said the accused thieves purchased the QR codes from the Telegram app, reports KNX News.

Glendale appears to have been the epicenter of the scheme. Multiple reports in December of 2024 stated that customers had shown up at Apple Stores to pick up their orders, only to find that someone had impersonated the buyer and intercepted them.

Per the KNX report, 13 such thefts were reported in Glendale.

Guilty Pleas in iPhone return scheme

Speaking of Apple Store-related criminal rings in the Los Angeles area, the Justice Department has announced guilty pleas for the final two defendants in the massive counterfeiting ring that involved six Chinese nationals.

According to the government's statement, the conspiracy was "a large-scale, trans-Pacific scheme to defraud Apple Inc.," to the tune of more than $16 million.

Shawn Kemp sentenced to home monitoring in iPhone-related shooting

Retired NBA player Shawn Kemp, who was arrested in 2023 in connection with an incident in which he shot at two men who he believed had taken his iPhone, has been sentenced.

The former Seattle Supersonic received 30 days of electronic home monitoring. That is in addition to one year of state Department of Corrections supervision and 240 hours of community service, The Seattle Times reported.

Kemp agreed to a plea bargain in June, and prosecutors had recommended nine months in jail.

iPhone stolen in Philadelphia mugging

A 45-year-old man in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood was shot in the thigh during a robbery. One performed by a man who demanded his chains and money, before fleeing with the victim's iPhone.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the robbery took place in late August, in a mostly residential stretch of the neighborhood. The victim was reportedly in stable condition.

Man accused of using "movie money" to buy iPhone in Facebook Marketplace deal

In Utah in late August, two men met on Facebook Marketplace and agreed to the sale of an iPhone 16 Pro. But when the two arranged to meet, the buyer attempted to pay with counterfeit money, which was marked with "For Motion Picture Purposes Only."

Per ABC 4, when the victim called out the deception, the seller pulled a gun, loaded a round, and declared "Don't tell anyone."

The buyer was later arrested and admitted that he had already sold the iPhone. He was charged with aggravated robbery, forgery, and failure to respond to an officer's signal to stop.

Another Facebook Marketplace fraud case in Canada

There was a similar story north of the border, also in late August, when a woman in Mississauga, Ontario, arranged to sell an iPhone via Facebook Marketplace.

According to Now Toronto, the woman wasn't suspicious, especially when the buyer agreed to meet in the lobby of her condo building, and was "kind" at first. But soon after, she noticed that he, too, was attempting to pay for the iPhone with fake money.

When she appeared confused, the buyer grabbed the iPhone and ran to a waiting getaway car.

The woman notified police, who noted that this particular crime has become more common of late. They were able to grab security footage of the theft, which she posted to Facebook.

Cleaner arrested for filming a showering woman with an iPhone

A 35-year-old "pervert cleaner" who worked at a gym in the U.K. has been sentenced, after a 2023 incident in which he used his iPhone to film a woman as she showered led to the discovery of other crimes.

Kent Live reports the cleaner placed the iPhone where a ceiling tile had been dislodged at the gym. Police were called and searched the man's iPhone.

While they did not find the offending image, they did discover an "illegal image of a child." More such images were found on another phone, as well as in a separate incident.

The man was convicted of voyeurism and two counts of making indecent images of a child. This was in addition to previous charges of attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch others engaging in sexual activity, and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was sentenced to four years and six months, and is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

iPhone, jewelry stolen from car at gas station

A man in Florida has been arrested for stealing jewelry and watches worth $32,000, as well as an iPhone 15 Pro Max, from a Mercedes-Benz that was parked at a gas station.

According to Gulf Coast News Now, the burglary was caught on surveillance video. After he was confronted, per the report, the accused thief told police, "(expletive), you get caught doing everything around here." He was charged with burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and grand theft.