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Twins suspected in nationwide cellphone scam arrested in Heber City with 27 iPhones

Posted at 3:08 PM, Jun 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-12 00:04:47-04

HEBER CITY, Utah -- Twin brothers suspected in a nationwide cell phone scheme were arrested in Heber City Friday with 27 fraudulently obtained iPhones worth nearly $23,000.

According to the Heber City Police Department, AT&T personnel contacted officers about the suspects, saying they had pinged the cell phones and located them at a hotel.

Police responded and arrested twin brothers Carlos J. Angelista and Braina Angelista, age 22. The men were booked on a charge of receiving stolen property.

AT&T alleges the two men were able visit 27 stores in six Utah cities, where they purchased an iPhone 6s Plus at each location using their own name but somehow billing another customer's account for the purchase. The 27 phones are valued at $22,832.00.

The pair have been under investigation by AT&T for more than a year, Heber Police stated, and they are suspected of stealing about $150,000 worth of merchandise in that time.

FOX 13 News' Brian Champagne spoke with one of the victims of the scam, who said he was alerted when his phone suddenly stopped working. See the video above for that interview.