United States v. Rami Mhana

── United States v. Rami Mhana ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Date: May 12, 2026 Category: General USCA4 Appeal: 24-4488 Doc: 61 Filed: 05/12/2026 Pg: 1 of 25 PUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 24-4488 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff – Appellee, v. RAMI MAHMOD MHANA, Defendant – Appellant. No. 24-4533 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff – Appellant, v. RAMI MAHMOD MHANA, Defendant – Appellee. Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, at Charlotte. Max O. Cogburn, Jr., District Judge. (3:22-cr-00078-MOC-SCR-1) Argued: October 24, 2025 Decided: May 12, 2026 USCA4 Appeal: 24-4488 Doc: 61 Filed: 05/12/2026 Pg: 2 of 25 Before KING, RUSHING, and BENJAMIN, Circuit Judges. Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded by published opinion. Judge Rushing wrote the opinion, in which Judge King and Judge Benjamin joined. ARGUED: Mark A. Jones, BELL, DAVIS & PITT, P.A., Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee. Amy Elizabeth Ray, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Asheville, North Carolina, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant. ON BRIEF: Russ Ferguson, United States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant. 2 USCA4 Appeal: 24-4488 Doc: 61 Filed: 05/12/2026 Pg: 3 of 25 RUSHING, Circuit Judge: Rami Mhana appeals his convictions for money laundering, conspiracy, and transportation of stolen goods. His appeal exclusively challenges the district court’s trial rulings admitting certain documents into evidence. The Government cross-appeals from the district court’s denial of its request for forfeiture. We affirm Mhana’s convictions, reverse the district court’s forfeiture ruling, and remand for entry of a forfeiture judgment. I. Operating a business initially called Wireless City Fashion and later renamed Protocol, Mhana paid in cash and below market value for fraudulently obtained latest- generation Apple iPhones and other personal electronics, which he then shipped in bulk to buyers overseas. His suppliers included individuals who used stolen personal-identifying information to purchase electronics from big-box stores and wireless carriers. Mhana did not require identification from his suppliers, ask how their electronics were obtained, or issue receipts. But he did check whether the phones they sold were “unlocked” and therefore available to be used on any cellular network, or “locked” and restricted to a single network. Although wireless carriers unlock customers’ phones for free after their financial obligations are satisfied, Mhana paid third-party services to unlock phones that he purchased. The Government began investigating Mhana after one of his overseas shipments of fraudulently obtained electronics ruptured during transit. Ultimately, the Government uncovered thousands of transactions in fraudulently obtained electronics. A federal grand jury charged Mhana with four counts of transporting stolen goods in interstate and foreign commerce, 18 U.S.C. § 2314; one count of conspiring to do the 3 USCA4 Appeal: 24-4488 Doc: 61