How an iPhone helped catch a gang member in US – Times of India

Federal authorities in the US have been able to track down and apprehend Raekwon Cortez Ford, of Columbia, South Carolina, on the charges of possessing a stolen firearm and ammunition. The government authorities tracked him down with the help of an iPhone that the accused stole in November 2019 from a vehicle. The 24-year-old, said to be a notorious gang member, has pleaded guilty in federal court “to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.”, as per a press statement by the Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Office, District of Carolina.
As per the statement, the crime occured in November 2019, when several automobiles were broken into and the items inside stolen. There was an iPhone too amongst the stolen ware. One of the victims of the automobile break-in tracked the iPhone to a residence in Columbia and notified the police department there. Action was taken and several people, including Ford, were found at the place the iPhone had helped pinpoint the location to. Ford was found in possession of the stolen iPhone there only and placed under arrest.
But more of the crime was yet to unfold. Further investigation was made after officers got a search warrant for Ford’s residence and zeroed in there. Inside, they found “a loaded Ruger .45 caliber handgun concealed in an air vent in Ford’s bedroom.” The handgun was reported to be stolen from another automobile break-in that happened in Columbia in December 2018 and evidence of Ford’s DNA on the handgun was also found. Furthermore, a ballistics analysis revealed that the weapon had been used in four shooting incidents that occured in Richland and Lexington Counties from June through August 2019. Ford is prohibited from keeping a firearm and ammunition due to his prior convictions, and possession of a stolen handgun could get him behind bars again.
Raekwon Cortez Ford could be jailed for a maximum of 10 years for the crime and also have to pay a fine of $250,000. The sentence is yet to be passed.