Sherrod Lamar News Today

A third man is now serving his sentence for the role he played in a phone theft ring that operated in the downtown area of Minneapolis.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Aaron Johnson, 26, of St. Paul was sentenced to 94 months in prison for his participation in the Minneapolis theft ring.

A St. Paul man charged with one count of racketeering will spend multiple years behind bars for his role in a phone theft ring that operated in downtown Minneapolis.

Thursday morning, two men entered guilty pleas to a charge filed against them for their alleged involvement in a downtown Minneapolis cellphone theft ring.

Some in the group would target people on the streets of downtown — mostly intoxicated bar patrons at closing time — and steal their phones through distraction, trickery or violent robberies.

Prosecutors allege one of the suspects is nicknamed "the iPhone man."

The stolen phones are then sold to the "iPhone Man," who then ships them to buyers overseas, according to prosecutors.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says twelve men face charges for allegedly operating a "highly organized" cellphone theft ring in downtown Minneapolis.

According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, the ring operated for more than a year in the downtown area of Minneapolis.

Twelve people have been charged for running a highly organized criminal enterprise that has operated a cell phone theft ring in downtown Minneapolis.