Cambridge Man Lost $102K In Apple iPhone Scam

CAMBRIDGE, MA - A Florida man was returned to Massachusetts in July after prosecutors said he bilked a Cambridge man out of $102,000.

Timothy Richard, 31, of Lake Worth, Florida, was arraigned on January 11, 2016, and charged with larceny over $250 and conspiracy. At arraignment, bail was set at $10,000 cash, which the defendant posted, and he was ordered to return for future court hearings from Florida; however he did not appear, prosecutors said. On Tuesday, July 19, Richard was brought back to Middlesex Superior Court where Clerk Magistrate Michael Sullivan accepted the Commonwealth’s recommendation that a new bail be set at $100,000 cash.

On Tuesday, a Middlesex Superior Court grand jury handed down an indictment of Richard on the charge of failure to appear.

Beginning in September of 2014, prosecutors said Richard allegedly engaged in a scheme where he produced false documents indicating that he was involved in a business partnership with Groupon and authorized through the company to purchase Apple iPhone and iPad charging cables from a manufacturer in China at a discounted price for sale in the United States. Richard allegedly allegedly sought an investment from a Cambridge man for startup capital for the business under the guise that the defendant has personally invested some of his own money in the business. The investor wired $102,000 to the defendant’s account which the defendant allegedly kept for his own personal purchases, prosecutors said.

The next scheduled hearing in this case is Tuesday, August 2.

“The partnership that exists between the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Warrant Apprehension Unit is an excellent example of the difference that collaborative law enforcement makes,” said District Attorney Marian Ryan in a statement. “Such collaborations are critical to accomplishing our shared mission of protecting public safety and apprehending wanted fugitives.”

“A key responsibility of the Warrant Apprehension Unit is to work in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to ensure those seeking to avoid prosecution are safely and securely returned to the Commonwealth,” said Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian in a statement. “Working in conjunction with DA Ryan’s office, we have ensured this defendant will answer to the charges against him.”
Beginning in September of 2014, Richard allegedly engaged in a scheme where he produced false documents indicating that he was involved in a business partnership with Groupon and authorized through the company to purchase Apple iPhone and iPad charging cables from a manufacturer in China at a discounted price for sale in the United States.

Richard allegedly sought an investment from a Cambridge man for startup capital for the business under the guise that Richard personally invested some of his own money in the business. The investor wired $102,000 to the defendant’s account which the defendant allegedly kept for his own personal purchases, prosecutors said.