iTunes and Amazon 'royalty scammers' charged

gallery

The Metropolitan Police Service’s Police Central eCrime Unit (PCeU) has charged 12 in relation to an illicit online music sales operation.

The alleged crimes involved creating songs to be sold on iTunes and Amazon, which were then purchased with stolen credit cards, according to reports.

Royalties would then be passed onto the gang, who are thought to have acquired hundreds of thousands of pounds through the operation.

The 12 suspects were caught following an investigation by the PCeU, with assistance from the FBI.

All will appear on bail at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on 15 September.

Eight have been charged with conspiracy to defraud.

They were Denver White, 24, care worker of Helming Drive, Wolverhampton; Rajan Aheer, 20, librarian of Wellington Road, Wolverhampton; Craig Anderson, 23, unemployed of Edwin Road, Dartford; Arran Jassi, 20, postal worker of Denmore Gardens, Wolverhampton; Sandeep Aheer, 22, unemployed of Wellington Road, Wolverhampton; Colton Johnson, 19, unemployed of Deansfield Road, Wolverhampton; Lamar Johnson, 19, of Birmingham; and James Batchelor, 27, teacher of Stone Hill Road, Derby.

The four charged with money laundering were: Siobhan Clarke, 23, a hairdresser of Limes Avenue, Carshalton; Sheahan Steele, 41, a drugs counsellor of Pakfield Walk, Aston, Birmingham; Matthew Clarke, 31, unemployed of Cross Farm Road, Birmingham; Leon Miles, 19, unemployed of Brooklands Parade, Wolverhampton.

Earlier this year, eight men were locked up for their involvement in an iTunes gift certificate scam, spending more than £750,000 of other people’s money in the process.

Email to a friend

Print this page