Charlotte Business Owner Convicted Of Selling Fraudulently Obtained iPhones Overseas Is Sentenced To Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Rami Mahmod Mhana, 46, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 68 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release today for selling stolen and fraudulently obtained iPhones and other electronic devices to buyers overseas, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In May 2023, a federal jury convicted Mhana of conspiracy, international transportation of stolen goods, and money laundering,

Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service (USSS), Charlotte Field Office, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today's announcement.

According to court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, Mhana was the owner of Wireless City Fashions, Inc. (Wireless City) and Protocol Business Group Inc. (Protocol), 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 brand-new Apple iPhones and other electronic devices that were stolen and fraudulently obtained. Mhana then sold and shipped the iPhones to the United Arab Emirates (the U.A.E.) 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 the stolen and fraudulently obtained devices from multiple local "boosters." A booster is a person who steals or obtains through fraud goods and products and sells them for profit. Mhana's store on Bradford Drive was known to local boosters as a place they could sell stolen devices for cash with no questions asked. In fact, as trial evidence established, Mhana provided his employees with a pricelist of how much they should pay for certain new model iPhones and other electronic devices, which was significantly less than retail value of the devices. The Court ordered Mhana to pay restitution in the amount of $3,649,033 to the victims of the fraud scheme. The Court also ordered Mhana to forfeit $229,118 and more than 100 new-in-the box iPhones seized during the investigation.

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

In a separate case, two Charlotte businessmen were sentenced to prison in August 2023, for orchestrating a similar scheme.

Both cases were the result of the investigative efforts of CMPD and the Secret Service, which have established a fully integrated partnership to combat the most significant organized criminal groups operating in Charlotte. Through this partnership, this unit has successfully leveraged local and federal resources, personnel, expertise and authorities to identify and combat the criminals and criminal organizations that have the largest negative impact on the community.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael E. Savage, William Bozin, and Benjamin Bain-Creed of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the cases.