(Stillwater, Okla.) — A former employee of the T-Mobile store in Stillwater had admitted embezzling more than $23,000 worth of cell phones and electronic notebooks while he was employed there in 2013.
Asked by District Judge Phillip Corley in court last week what he had done, Justin Dean Brown, 26, of Stillwater, who remains unemployed, said that he believed he took 40 phones.
On prosecutor Karen Dixon’s request Friday, the judge ordered a pre-sentencing investigation of Brown, who remains free on bond pending his Aug. 28 sentencing.
When store manager J. Lang conducted an audit including September through December 2013, “he learned the business was missing 38 electronic devices which included cell phones and electronic notebooks,” worth $23,323.51, Stillwater Police Detective Sgt. Jeff Watts wrote in an affidavit.
“J. stated after learning of the possible theft of cell phones by Justin, he checked Craigslist to see if any of the missing phones were listed for sale.
“J. stated many of the phones which were of the same type of phones stolen from the store were listed on Craigslist for sale,” an affidavit said.
An employee of T-Mobile “looked at some of the photos and told J. he recognized the furniture in the background of the photos as being furniture from Justin’s living room and his dining room,” the affidavit said.
On Jan. 7, 2014, the detective sergeant met with Brown in the Stillwater police department lobby, the affidavit said.
“During my conversation with Justin, he admitted he was employed at T-Mobile since January 2013. He stated during the month of November (2013), he began taking phones from the business without paying for them,” Watts wrote in his affidavit.
“Justin stated he was selling the phones on Craigslist and using the money to buy Christmas presents. Justin had in his possession four of the stolen cell phones and he turned them over to me,” Watts wrote in his affidavit.
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