Houston man pleads to bringing stolen iPhones across state lines

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A 44-year-old Houston man pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown.       

Curtric DeMaine White pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property on Monday, Feb. 10, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith F. Giblin.

According to information presented in court, during the early morning hours of July 31, 2019, White and others burglarized Best Buy in Mobile, Alabama, and D’Iberville, Mississippi. Later in the evening of that same day, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 10 West in Vidor on a vehicle having a fictitious license plate.  White was identified as one of the two occupants of the vehicle. While questioning the occupants, the officer noticed a steel security cage in the vehicle. After getting consent to search, the cage was found to have the Best Buy “Geek Squad” insignia on it and contained approximately 20 new Apple iPhones, all of which were determined to belong to Best Buy. In total, the two Best Buy stores suffered a combined loss of $117,363.97 in stolen items and damage to their property.

Under federal statutes, White faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. His sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vidor Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice.