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JFK Airport Worker Arrested For Stealing $1.9 Million Worth Of iPad Minis
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 17, 2012
Modified Nov 17, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 17, 2012
Modified Nov 17, 2012
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Last Monday, 3,600 of the shiny new Apple iPad minis—worth around $1.9 million—were stolen from JFK Airport in what police believed was an inside job. And their suspicions have proved to be true: cops have now arrested JFK employee Renel Rene Richardson for his part in the crime. According to the court papers, police were led to him because he allegedly made suspicious inquiries to co-workers about the shipment and where forklifts might be found.
The caper went down after 11 p.m. on Monday when the thieves used one of the airport’s forklifts to load two pallets of the tablet computers into a truck. Police believe Richardson had two accomplices in the heist at the Cargo Air Services building, which is where he also worked—it's also where the notorious 1978 Lufthansa heist (made famous by Goodfellas) took place. Authorities believe Richardson was the inside man who served as the lookout while his two conspirators took the gadgets.
Police haven't caught the two accomplices yet, and it's unclear whether the iPads have been recovered. As for those two other suspects, they better hope that life doesn't imitate Goodfellas in any other respects.
Tagged
apple
heist
ipad mini
JFK
jfk airport
Renel Rene Richardson
theft
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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