Robbers Said To Have Used Craigslist To Lure Victims

Police have arrested four men for robbery after they allegedly placed ads on Craigslist offering discounted iPhones to lure victims whom they then robbed at gunpoint.

The scheme allegedly began in early March, when the group advertised bulk sales of iPhones on the online classified ad Web site. Lieutenant Garfield Brown of the police department's Brooklyn central robbery unit said the men usually offered about 10 iPhones for $2,000.

Police officials said those who responded to the ads, which were posted as many as 12 times until early June, were told to meet the men, usually in the evening, on corners in East Flatbush.

Once there, officials said, the men robbed the interested buyers using a 9 mm pistol. Police said the men, who never had iPhones to sell, stole thousands of dollars.

Police said they responded to one of the Craigslist postings and arrested the men without incident at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Brown yesterday identified the men as Orival Michael, 19, Elorge Zamy, 20, Ulyses Campbell, 18, and Christopher Thervil, 19, all of Brooklyn.

All four have been charged with conspiracy, robbery, and possession of a weapon, officials said, although as of yesterday evening they had linked the men to only four of the alleged 12 robberies.