Cell Phone Mail Scheme Ensnares Passaic County Man

A Passaic County resident was arrested Monday for allegedly running a scheme where he would sell high-end cell phones on the Internet, the Passaic County Prosecutor Camilia Valdes announced Monday.

Edinson Polo Jr., 26, of Clifton, would place e-mail orders with Vexwire, a Passaic company he worked for, for low-end, inexpensive cell phones, Valdes said in a news release. Polo used his position at the company to mail expensive cell phones to himself. He then sold the phones on eBay and Craig’sList online, Valdes said.

Vexwire lost more than $75,000, Valdes said.

“[Mr. Polo’s] arrest today should serve as a warning to those who intend to misuse the U.S. Mail to facilitate a crime,” Greg Kliemisch, postal inspector of the United States Postal Office’s Newark Division, said in a statement.

“Vexwire is a valuable customer of the United States Postal Service and it’s our mission to ensure the integrity of the U.S. Mail. Postal inspectors will continue to aggressively pursue investigations in which the U.S. Mail is used to facilitate a crime.”

The scheme, which was conducted from about April 2012, was uncovered when the company noticed irregularities in inventory and shipping records.

He is charged with theft by deception and computer theft, both in the second degree. Polo is being held in the Passaic County Jail on $40,000 bail with no 10 percent option.

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Authorities are continuing the probe.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.