Federal indictment: Pair left signature marks at massive Target store thefts

WORCESTER, Mass. — Two men accused of using blow torches to break into Target stores across New England will be arraigned on federal charges Monday.

Investigators say the pair stole nearly $200,000 worth of iPads and iPhones in just two months.

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An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Worcester accuses Elijah Aiken and a second unnamed suspect of stealing electronics from Target stores.

Investigators say the suspects used a portable blowtorch to cut through the metal doors and got inside the stores including one in Easton, Massachusetts.

>> Target out thousands after blow torch break-in

The first theft happened in Pennsylvania in December 2014, where the pair took 15 iPads.

Then over the course of two months, police say the same two men hit stores from Connecticut to New Hampshire.

Investigators say they always took iPads and iPhones, and they left behind a hole in the metal doors.

The biggest losses were in Massachusetts. About $154,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from the stores in Westborough and Easton.

Investigators say the pair would sell the goods to a buyer "in and around" New York City.

Aiken was arrested at the scene of the last burglary in Connecticut. He was hiding in the snow.

He was sentenced to two years in prison for that crime, but is now facing federal charges of transporting stolen goods over state lines.

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