The Petrogradsky District Court in Saint Petersburg has handed Artem Molchanov a five-year penal colony sentence along with a fine of 500,000 rubles for stealing dozens of iPhones and Apple Watches from an Eldorado store. The decision was reported through the Telegram channel of the joint press service of Saint Petersburg courts. [Source: Telegram joint press service]
From January 2019 to June 2021, Molchanov held the position of head of the administrative and technical department and warehouse at MVM LLC, the legal entity behind the Eldorado chain. During this period, 21 Apple iPhone 11 smartphones and an Apple Watch SE were taken from the store’s warehouse. In addition, Molchanov allegedly stole 21 iPhones of the same model and an iPhone 12 from the Eldorado sales floor. [Source: Telegram joint press service]
The offender reportedly concealed the stolen devices inside a box of cheaper home appliances sold at the store. Specifically, the file references a box originally used for Vitek electric tongs. Molchanov passed the stolen devices to an accomplice for later sale. [Source: Telegram joint press service]
The total loss attributed to Molchanov for MVM LLC amounts to 2.07 million rubles. [Source: Telegram joint press service]
Earlier reporting about this case appeared on Socialbites — which noted echoes of Apple’s device development timeline in related discussions. [Source: Telegram joint press service]