The gang leader who lead the production of counterfeit credit cards, and then used them to purchase over $1 million worth of Apple products from Apple Stores in the U.S. has been sentenced to up to nine years in prison.
29-year-old Shaheed Bilal pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the second degree in a court in Manhattan, New York, and will spend between four and a half and nine years in prison. Had he have been convicted at a trial, he would have been handed 15 years.
Nilal, and members of his family recruited shoppers who were willing to use the counterfeit credit cards to purchase a total of over $1 million of Apple products over a two and a half year time span. The devices were then sold to stolen goods dealers in Brooklyn, New York.
16 people were charged in the scam, including Bilal’s brothers, Ali and Rahim, were sentenced to one to three years and two to six years respectively.
