Getty ImagesFormer NBA star Rex Chapman was arrested in Arizona Friday after allegedly stealing more than $14,000 in products from an Apple Store in Scottsdale, per The Arizona Republic:
Scottsdale police say Chapman is alleged to have stolen items from the Apple Store at the Scottsdale Quarter on seven occasions in recent months.
Apple Store employees told police that Chapman picked up items in the store and made it appear that he was paying for them using a self-checkout system via iPhone app. He would then leave the store without actually paying for the items, they said.
The former Phoenix Suns guard reportedly flipped the stolen merchandise for a profit by selling it at a local pawn shop, according to Scottsdale police spokesman Sgt. Mark Clark. Now Chapman is facing felony charges of trafficking in stolen property (five counts) and organized retail theft (nine counts).
ABC 15 in Phoenix posted his mugshot on Twitter:
ABC15 Arizona @abc15DETAILS: Former Suns player accused of stealing $14K in goods from Valley Apple store: http://t.co/wxZDLbJMgr #abc15 http://t.co/4SBtmx3Hhv
Chapman may have gotten away with it had he not been a 12-year veteran of the NBA. The Apple Store employees alerted local authorities after recognizing him from the four years he spent with the Phoenix Suns in the late '90s.
As ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman pointed out, 2014 hasn't been the best year for the former ballplayer:
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPNRex Chapman said Calipari was off to the Lakers a few months back, now he's arrested for stealing from Apple store: http://t.co/CJE75voNbn
Between 1996 and 2000, Chapman appeared in 224 games for the Suns, averaging 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He was most famously the first-ever draft pick for the Charlotte Hornets (now the New Orleans Pelicans) in 1988 after a successful career at Kentucky.
Since retiring as a player, Chapman has worked as a TV analyst and in other basketball-related roles for the Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
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