STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE BIG STEAL
curity busted through the front
window at Ace Wholesale’s location in Taylor, leaving behind
piles of shattered glass. The
storefront is now occupied by a
company that sells outdoor pools
and jacuzzis. Federal agents
spent six hours removing boxes
and surveillance cameras from
inside Ace Wholesale’s location
in Troy, Zochowski said.
In court documents, Ace
Wholesale said the raids forced
the company to shut down its
business. Its website says its inventory is now “entirely online”
and being carried by its sister
company, Electronics Direct,
which is also owned by Floarea.
Baldinger, of Sprint, said
the raid against Ace Wholesale
caused “a short-lived drop” in
the number of phones being
shipped overseas.
But in the increasingly competitive underground smartphone
trade, shutting down one operation — even a major one — left
plenty of others waiting in the
wings, Baldinger added.
“There are so many other players out there,” he said. “The raid
provided an opportunity for a lot
of other traffickers to step
up and fill the void.”
Gerry Smith is a technology reporter
at The Huffington Post.
HUFFINGTON
07.28.13
In addition
to stolen
iPhones,
authorities
in California
confiscated
cash from the
suspects.