Former Miramar IT tech who concocted cellphone scheme pleads guilty to mail fraud
A former Miramar police department IT worker, who used his position to buy cellphones and resell them over a five-year period, banking $800,000, pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Chen, 39, who began working for the city in 2007, is set to be sentenced May 2. He could face up to 60 years in prison and a fine.
According to the complaint filed in January, the Weston resident was able to order cellphones through the Verizon “My Business” portal, allowing him to receive free and discounted phones. Beginning in 2013 until 2018, the complaint said, Chen would order phones and pay for them on personal credit cards.
He would then resell them to make a profit. The phones, however, meant Verizon created a service plan, according to the complaint. Chen could not kill the plans fast enough, and the city ended up being on the hook for about $350,000.
On Thursday, the department said when it “discovered an anomaly with fluctuation in billing for cellular equipment and services with our service provider, Verizon Wireless,” it conducted an audit.
An audit, the department said, led them to Chen. The findings were then handed over to the FBI.
The incident, according to the department, resulted in “additional layers of approval and oversight to prevent the misappropriation of funds and assets.”
“Brian’s actions certainly do not reflect the integrity and dedication of the hardworking employees who serve the Miramar Police Department,” Chief Dexter Williams said in a news release.
This story was originally published February 21, 2019 at 10:23 PM.
