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Twenty-Six People Indicted in Toledo Electronics Theft Ring
Twenty-six people, most of them from the Toledo area, were indicted in federal court for their roles in a wide-ranging conspiracy in which stolen computers, smart phones and other electronics were fenced at stores in Toledo and resold in Michigan and the Middle East, law enforcement officials said.
Some members of the conspiracy used firearms, threats and violence as part of their operation. Others illegally cashed millions of dollars’ worth of checks at their stores. Others sold counterfeit clothing from their stores. And members of the conspiracy worked together at various Toledo stores to launder money, according to the indictment.
The indictment was announced by Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland Office, Toledo Police Chief George Kral, Lucas County Sheriff John Tharp and Troy Stemen, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.
Indicted are Mamoun Awwad, 43, of Maumee; Adnan Awad, 33, of Toledo; Ihab Awad, 31, of Toledo; Ayman Awwad, 42, of Maumee; Anwar Awad, 39, of Toledo; Kamal Awwad, 40, of Toledo; Fady Awwad, 34, of Toledo; Aref Kahala, 23, of Maumee; Saif Alkhatib, 23, of Perrysburg; Haney Sarsour, 36, of Dearborn, Mich.; Ameen Sarsour, 31, of Dearborn, Mich.; Michael Safadi, 37, of Westland, Mich.; Freddy Delatorre, 32, of Toledo; Jeffrey Houttekier, 24, of Toledo; Ahmed Abdulateeef, 47, of Toledo; Ehab Adbdelsalam, 22, of Toledo; Timothy Fields, 32, of Toledo; Ali Abdallah, 34, of Dearborn, Mich.; Mustafa Deebajah, 27, of Dearborn, Mich.; Essa Allawneh, age unknown, of Amman, Jordan; Adli Alawneh, age unknown, of Amman, Jordan; Omar Dari, 54, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; Mutaz Almumani, 29, hometown unknown; Fadi Qasis, 30, hometown unknown; Mayssam Kaddoura, 36, of Toledo and Jamal Abdel Aziz, 44, of Toledo.
The Awwad family enterprise bought stolen electronics, such as iPhones, iPads and Samsung cellular phones, from drug addicts and low-income people, then altered the electronics’ hardware and software so they could be registered on cellular networks. The Awwad family enterprise then sold the stolen electronics locally, in Michigan and overseas. Mamoun Awwad did this, in part, by meeting with crew members of Royal Jordanian Airlines in Detroit to have them transport electronics and cash, according to the indictment.
The family unlawfully cashed checks at the Reynolds Quick Stop and other grocery/convenience stores as a way to generate revenue and launder proceeds from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods. The family cashed more than $11 million in checks at various store locations between 2011 and 2014, according to the indictment.
The family also knowingly sold shoes, sweat suits, t-shirts and other clothing bearing counterfeit logos and trademarks of brands including Nike, Timberland, Coogi, Ralph Lauren, RoccaWear, Ecko, Lacoste, Dolce Gabbana and others, according to the indictment.
RELATED: Awwad Family Indicted: Toledo Tech Heist & Middle East Money Trail
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Violent Crime|Organized Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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