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Three face charges for allegedly stealing hundreds of Verizon Blackberrys

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 5, 2009 01:59 PM

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Three people are now facing criminal charges after they allegedly stole hundreds of Verizon Blackberrys and sold them over the Internet, earning themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit profits, Middlesex prosecutors alleged today.

Wayne Deleveaux, 22, of Everett is the alleged ringleader who relied on the assistance of Shartieya Lambert, 23, also of Everett, to obtain the Blackberrys by using fictitious names and, in some cases, invoking the names of legitimate companies.

The three then allegedly sold the telecommunication devices to a third person, Nihat Ozdemir, who is accused of re-selling them on e-Bay, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said in a statement today.

“This was an extensive scheme,’’ Leone said in the statement announcing the indictments. “We thank Verizon for first discovering this scheme and then contacting authorities immediately…’’

According to prosecutors, Deleveaux was indicted on five counts of larceny over $250 for being a “common and notorious thief.’’ Lambert is charged with two counts of larceny over $250 and Ozdemir, 44, of Watertown, faces charges of receiving stolen property valued at more than $250.

An arraignment date for the three in Middlesex Superior Court has not yet been set. All three have previously been charged in Cambridge District Court where they pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.

Deleveaux is being held at the Middlesex Jail was while Lambert and Ozdemir were both released on personal recognizance, prosecutors said.

According to Leone’s office, the three people have been under investigation for the past several months by police in Cambridge, Somerville, and State Police with information provided by the Verizon Wireless Corporate Security investigators.

In July, police searched a storage facility allegedly rented by Deleveauz and Lambert and recovered “large amounts of cash,’’ Verizon Blackberry phones, bank documents and other Verizon equipment. Police also allegedly recovered stolen Blackberrys from Ozdemir.

Leone estimated the alleged scam had a value in excess of $600,000.