Federal authorities have brought to justice two men accused of carrying out a brazen $1.5 million Apple gift card scheme.
Syed Ali, 29, appeared in federal court in Dallas on March 2024 on charges related to his alleged involvement in the massive scam, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
Ali and his co-conspirator, Jason Tout-Puissant, 27, were both charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in December.
The indictment reveals that Tout-Puissant allegedly obtained an Apple point-of-sale device called an “Isaac” and used it to load thousands of dollars of fraudulent store credits onto gift cards over the course of about 16 months.
He then sent the gift cards digitally to Ali, who allegedly used them to purchase computers and other Apple products from the company’s brick-and-mortar retail stores across the country.
If convicted, Ali and Tout-Puissant face up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sid Mody prosecuted the case.
According to U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox, the defendants may have assumed their fraud would go unnoticed simply because $1.5 million is small compared to the revenue that Apple expects to generate – but thankfully, the FBI is vigilant for fraud of all shapes and sizes.
The FBI worked to identify and end the scheme carried out by the defendants, said Michael Schneider, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Division. “Our private sector partnerships allow us to effectively target cyber criminals who attempt to steal property or sensitive information.”
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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