By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Monmouth County announced that a local man has been criminally charged with stealing more than 100 cell phones from his employers.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago stated that Norberto O. Matias, 35, of Union Beach, is charged with second-degree Theft by Unlawful Taking.
According to MCPO officials, an investigation by the MCPO Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Unit was initiated at the request of 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, MCPO officials say.
Monmouth County officials said 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 aforementioned criminal charges.
A total of 123 stolen cell phones, which remain unrecovered, were valued at slightly more than $141,000, Monmouth County authorities stated. 
The charges against Matias were served via summons, and he was released on his own recognizance pending a first appearance, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, August 26, in Monmouth County Superior Court.