Union Beach Man Stole Over 100 Cell Phones From Employers, Prosecutor Says

UNION BEACH, NJ — A Union Beach man has been criminally charged with stealing over 100 cellphones from his employers, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said Friday.

Norberto O. Matias, 35, was charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking, prosecutors said.

An investigation into Matias’ activities began when the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes & Special Prosecutions Unit received 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 had them shipped directly to his home, Santiago said.

An examination of business and shipping records, alongside interviews with five of Matias’s clients who indicated that they never received the phones despite being charged for them, led to Matias being charged, according to prosecutors.

A total of 123 stolen cell phones, which remain unrecovered, were valued at slightly more than $141,000, prosecutors said.

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Michael Costanzo of the Financial Crimes & Special Prosecutions Unit. Matias is being represented by Keith Oliver, Esq., with an office in Marlton.