Two Chicago men were arrested for a $1.1 million Brinks armored truck armed robbery, thanks to an Apple AirTag that was hidden among the bills.
The AirTag is a small tracking device pushed by Apple for keeping track of objects like briefcases, purses, keychains, and more. However, Apple’s tracker has been used for both good and evil.
A report from Chicago’s WGN9 says a hidden AirTag led to the arrest of two men who stole $1.1 million from an armored Brink truck. The device was hidden in one of the plastic money bins.
The men stole seven plastic bins containing about $100,000 each and ten deposit bags worth $50,000 each. After transporting the stolen money across town and through a few hiding spots, the money and the AirTag arrived at the suspect’s hideout.
Between the AirTag, traffic cams, and witness testimony, authorities were led to a residential address. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were recovered by the police from where it had been hidden in the ceiling and basement.
In a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in federal court, authorities recommended Devonte Davis, 26, and Darrell Singleton, 18, be charged with armed robbery.
Singleton was already wanted by the FBI for his alleged involvement in another armed robbery of a Brink’s truck last October, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Chicago Field Office confirmed.
According to authorities, the robbery happened at approximately 9:25 a.m. Tuesday outside Jewel-Osco on 183rd Street in south suburban Homewood. Brink’s records show the robbers took approximately $1.1 million, court documents reveal.
Apple’s AirTag, witness testimony, and various traffic cams led authorities to a residential address. Police recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash hidden in the ceiling and basement.
“They were created for lost goods and Apple doesn’t advertise them being used for recovering stolen items, but they’re certainly being used for that more and more,” said retired FBI agent and CEO of Veracity IIR, Doug Kouns. “Perhaps the owner of that particular branch of the company was safeguarding themselves by randomly throwing an AirTag in every so many bags or bins, and in this case it worked out.”
Unfortunately, AirTags have also been used for nefarious purposes. Recently, an Indianapolis man was murdered by being run over repeatedly by a vehicle allegedly driven by his girlfriend. The girlfriend, Gaylyn Morris, is said to have used an Apple AirTag to track her boyfriend, Andre Smith, to a bar where she saw him with another woman.
In May, a Columbia, Tennessee family said their trip to Disney World was ruined after they discovered that someone may have used an Apple AirTag to stalk them during their activities at the Florida amusement park.
(First shared by AppleInsider)
