A local man has been arrested and charged with stealing more than 100 cell phones from his employers, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Friday.  

Norberto O. Matias, 35, of Union Beach has been charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking stemming from the thefts.   

The case background …

An investigation by the MCPO Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Unit was initiated by a referral from Matias’s employer, a telecommunications company. The investigation revealed that Matias, who worked as a business sales account manager for the company, had been fraudulently ordering iPhone 15s under multiple companies’ accounts, but having them shipped directly to his home.

An examination of business and shipping records, coupled with interviews of five of Matias’s clients who indicated that they had never received the phones despite being charged for them, led to the charges. A total of 123 stolen cell phones, which remain unrecovered, were valued at slightly more than $141,000.

The charges against Matias were served via summons, and he was released on his own recognizance pending an initial appearance tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26, in Monmouth County Superior Court.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

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