Resident Who Sold iPhone for Phony Cash Isn't Alone: Police

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – A Bloomfield Township resident who sold an iPhone over Craigslist got a bundle of phony cash from the buyer, police said.

Similar incidents have occurred in Ferndale, Clawson and Southfield, Bloomfield Township Det. Sgt. James Gallagher said in a news release. In Ferndale, the man who sold the iPhone was shot twice in the head, Gallagher said.

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A suspect in the Ferndale case, Somate Jalen Russell, fled to Texas, but was later arrested. The Bloomfield Township victim identified Russell from a police photo line-up, Gallagher said.

Somate has been returned to Oakland County, where he was arraigned Tuesday in 48th District Court on Bloomfield Township charges of uttering and publishing, a five-year felony. Judge Marc Barron set bond at $100,000.

The Bloomfield Township victim discovered the $700 he received for the iPhone was counterfeit when he went to a nearby bank to deposit the cash on Nov. 13.

Gallagher said the incident serves as a reminder to residents “to use extreme caution when conducting any kind of financial transaction with a stranger.” Residents are encouraged to conduct such transactions in the police department lobby or parking lot.

Related

• Ferndale Man Shot Twice in Head in Suspected Robbery Attempt
• Arrest Made in Texas in Shooting of Ferndale Man