Five men from California have been indicted for a brazen crime spree, impersonating FBI agents to rob Portland-area businesses. According to KOIN, the group conducted their first robbery on April 14, targeting Faith Fly International in a meticulously planned heist that netted approximately 200 Apple iPhones and five cameras. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California named Cankun He, Hailong Ma, Robert Maynard, Yuxiang Wei, and Jordan Cantie in the indictment, charging them with conspiracy to commit a Hobbs Act Robbery.
The elaborate disguise and intimidation tactics involved fake FBI jackets and bulletproof vests supplied by Ma ahead of their trip from California to Oregon. As detailed by CBS News, Cantie and Maynard were said to have driven into the parking lot of their target flashing blue and red lights, simulating police presence, before storming the building. Meanwhile, accomplices Ma and Wei provided support nearby. Authorities have arrested He, Ma, and Wei, with investigators still on the hunt for Cantie.
The indictment, unveiled earlier this week, also connects these individuals to an attempted robbery on May 19. Their plans were thwarted when FBI agents apprehended Maynard and four unindicted co-conspirators en route to commit another crime. According to OregonLive, during the stop, agents recovered an assortment of items including zip ties, a wig, firearms, body armor, and a BB pistol.
All defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of robbery conspiracy affecting interstate commerce. Ma and He are scheduled for arraignment, while Wei awaits a detention hearing set for later this month, which CBS News San Francisco reports. As the story unfolds, attention now turns to the whereabouts of the still fugitive Cantie and the impending legal proceedings of his captured co-conspirators.
