Bay Area Thieves Impersonated FBI To Steal Hundreds Of iPhones: Authorities

PORTLAND, OR — Five Bay Area men face federal charges in connection with a plot that involved posing as FBI agents and stealing hundreds of iPhones from a business in Oregon, according to authorities.

Cankun He, 31; Hailong Ma, 30; Robert Maynard, 41; Yuxiang Wei, 25; and Jordan Cantie, 48, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to rob a business in Portland, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Ma, Wei, Maynard and Cantie traveled from California to Portland for the robbery, with Ma providing jackets falsely marked with “FBI,” bulletproof vests, zip ties and other supplies, authorities said. On April 14, while Ma and Wei waited nearby, Maynard and Cantie drove into the business’s parking lot using blue and red flashing lights similar to those on police vehicles, according to the department.

Cantie brandished a gun and, along with Maynard, forced employees into the building, zip-tied them and made threats, authorities said. The two then stole about 200 iPhones and five cameras, according to the department.

On May 19, Ma, Wei, Maynard and others conspired to rob another business, this time in Hillsboro, Oregon, and drove to Oregon to do so, authorities said, adding Maynard and four unindicted co-conspirators were arrested that day. Ma and Wei were arrested Aug. 1, and He was arrested Monday, according to the department. He, Ma, Maynard and Wei have been in custody since their arrests, while Cantie remains at large, authorities said.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain for the count of conspiracy to engage in robbery affecting interstate commerce, according to the department.