A former telecommunications employee, Andres Samuel Contreras, age 29, has been arrested on suspicion of stealing over 900 backup batteries from 66 cell towers across Maricopa County, AZ, according to court records. Contreras, who previously worked for Northstar Towers, allegedly used his insider knowledge of tower access to steal batteries over a five-month period, reported azcentral.
The thefts resulted in over $330,000 in losses to a single telecommunications company, believed to be T-Mobile, based on Northstar Towers’ role as a T-Mobile contractor.
Contreras faces a total of 28 felony charges, including:
- Theft of a controlled property (Class 2 felony)
- Fraudulent schemes (Class 2 felony)
- First-degree trafficking of stolen property (Class 4 felony)
- 12 counts of third-degree burglary and unlawful entry (Class 4 felony)
- 12 counts of criminal trespass (Class 5 felony)
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