Former UPS workers are charged in an Apple product heist, two caught stealing from a New Jersey Apple Store, and iPhone and MacBooks were taken by the FBI from a journalist, all in this week's Apple Crime Blotter.

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

iPad used in $3 million crypto heist

A 2022 home invasion geared towards the theft of a woman's cryptocurrency assets used an iPad for communication purposes.

According to The San Francisco Standard, when a masked man broke into the home of Yuchen "Cassandra" Shi, he bound and ziptied her, while threatening her at knifepoint. The thief communicated with his hostage by typing commands into an iPad.

By doing so, he was able to transfer $3 million worth of Shi's crypto assets. It was, per the account, the first "wrench attack" in San Francisco, the name for when someone steals crypto not through hacking but rather physical force.

A multiyear, multi-agency, international manhunt ultimately resulted in the arrest of Shi's personal assistant, who has denied wrongdoing. The defendant's lawyer describes Shi as a "jilted lover," although Shi has denied the two ever having a romantic relationship.

Ex-UPS workers charged with $113,000 Apple product theft

Three people in Louisville who worked for UPS have been indicted for stealing $113,000 worth of Apple products, shortly after Christmas. Per WDRB, the three employees were caught stealing "iPhone products," and subsequent searches found backpacks that contained iPhones, AirPods, charging cables, and other items.

The three suspects were charged with complicity in organized crime, and UPS told the news station that they have been fired. A fourth suspect was later arrested.

Two women arrested in New Jersey Apple Store theft

A pair of women has been arrested for taking iPhones from an Apple Store at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, N.J., on two occasions in January.

According to Daily Voice, the two women are suspected of "numerous" other thefts throughout New Jersey.

The two were arrested and charged with second-degree shoplifting as part of an organized retail theft crew and transported to the Passaic County Jail Intake Hub. Two male accomplices remain at large, the report said.

Devices taken by FBI from journalist included iPhone, MacBook Pros

In early January, the FBI seized several electronic devices from the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, although as reported by NBC News, a federal judge has ruled that the FBI cannot examine the devices until he can review the case.

According to court documents posted by Politico reporter Kyle Cheney, the seized devices include an iPhone and charging cable and a pair of MacBook Pro computers, along with a recorder, a Seagate portable drive, and a Garmin Forerunner watch.

Natanson has been investigating a government contractor accused of retaining classified materials. The seizure of her devices is a very rare case of the government taking such a step.

Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, told NBC News that this is the first in history that the government has searched a reporter's home in a national security media leak investigation.

Three charged after iPhone, marijuana stolen during drug deal

Not everyone who had marijuana stolen during a drug deal would call the police to tell them about it, but one man in Florida did, leading to the arrests of three people.

Action News Jax reports the man told deputies that his girlfriend's iPhone and some marijuana were stolen at gunpoint while he was trying to sell the assailants drugs.

The contact showed up to the planned drug deal, pointed a gun, and was then joined by two masked accomplices who got out of their car and patted down the victims. He punched the girlfriend in the face before the three left.

The man gunman was charged with armed robbery, and his girlfriend with obstructing law enforcement and with accessory to armed robbery. The third suspect, a juvenile, was charged with robbery with a firearm and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

"As a result of this investigation, 3 suspects were arrested, the stolen iPhone was recovered, 2 firearms were seized and taken off the streets, along with multiple magazines, and over 120 rounds of ammunition," police said.

Former Real Housewives star charged with iPhone theft

A former cast member on Australia's version of the Real Housewives reality TV franchise was arrested for stealing her sister's iPhone.

According to The Herald Sun, socialite Venus Behbahani-Clark, who once starred on The Real Housewives of Melbourne, is accused of taking the iPhone from her sister, singer Rebekah Behbahani. The theft is connected to a complex, sprawling feud among several Australian celebrities.

The report states that "it is understood the iPhone was one of five phones and two laptops seized following a raid on her home during a lengthy police probe into how photos of a nude celebrity ended up circulating online."

Behbahani-Clark, per the newspaper, had previously "outed herself as a suspect in the nude photo case."

AirPods signal leads to man's arrest

A man in Alton, Ill., broke into a house and stole AirPods as well as other items, and the signal from the AirPods led to his arrest, police say.

As Riverbender explains, the man entered the home and took checkbooks, a passport, and a car title, in addition to the AirPods. The man had a prior conviction for attempted burglary.

Police followed the AirPods' signal to an apartment complex, where the stolen items were found, along with burglary tools. The man was charged with a Class 1 felony residential burglary, a Class 4 felony count of possession of burglary tools, and three counts of theft.

Data thief dumped MacBook Air in river, company says

Coupang Corp., the South Korean technology company, announced in a blog post just before the new year that it was launching a 1.685 trillion won customer compensation plan to "restore consumer trust" following a data breach.

Per The Register, the investigation determined that a company employee had stolen a security key and accessed consumer records, using a PC and a MacBook Air.

Then, once the attack became public, the perpetrator "smashed his MacBook Air, stuffed it in a Coupang canvas bag along with some bricks, and threw it into a river."

However, investigators found the discarded MacBook Air, were able to read its serial number and match it with the accused hacker's iCloud account.

Stolen iPhone leads to cache of devices in Phillipines

A stolen iPhone led police in the Philippines to a cache of 154 "high-end mobile phones," mostly iPhones, and the arrests of two suspects in Cebu City.

According to Sunstar, police raided a commercial building where, behind what looked like a "legitimate cellphone repair shop, they uncovered "rooms allegedly used to buy, reprogram and resell stolen iPhones," which they suspected may have been running for months.

Several victims tracking their stolen iPhones, many of which were taken during the recent Sinulog Grand Parade, had used the Find My iPhone feature and were pinging that area.

Police said the operators of the ring had "technical expertise" that allowed them to bypass Apple security.