NJ Transit Worker Charged After Making Over $700K By Selling Phones Stolen from Agency

Peejay Manila allegedly exploited purchasing authority to sell over 850 agency-bought devices for personal profit, authorities say.

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A New Jersey Transit employee has been charged with theft and receiving stolen property after allegedly orchestrating a years-long scheme to profit from the unauthorized resale of cellphones purchased with public funds, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced.

“As alleged, the defendant misused his authority to spend the public’s money, betraying his employer, his coworkers, and the people who ride NJ Transit, for personal gain,” said Attorney General Platkin. “My office is committed to holding accountable those who would abuse the public’s trust and use public resources to line their own pockets.”

Peejay Manila, 37, of Hackensack, faces two counts of theft (second and third degree) and one count of receiving stolen property (third degree), following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability’s (OPIA) Corruption Bureau. The charges allege that Manila used his purchasing authority at NJ Transit to acquire hundreds of iPhones and other electronic devices meant for agency use, and instead sold them to phone buy-back companies for personal financial gain.

According to the criminal complaint, Manila’s scheme began around November 2020 and continued through April 2025. Investigators say he sold approximately 850 phones—many of them purchased using NJ Transit funds—to trade-in companies, collecting over $700,000 in proceeds. While he was authorized to order phones for official agency use, he allegedly exploited this authority to divert devices for private resale.

Authorities executed search warrants on May 8 at Manila’s Hackensack residence, his NJ Transit office, and his vehicle. At his apartment, investigators discovered around 20 cellphones, including 11 brand-new, unopened devices. Nine of the phones were already packaged in bubble wrap and placed in a shipping box labeled for a cellphone buy-back company. Investigators confirmed that the majority of these phones were originally ordered through Manila’s NJ Transit credentials.

“These devices were owned by a State agency, purchased using fare proceeds and tax dollars,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. “As alleged in the complaint, instead of being used for the public’s benefit, the defendant sold them for personal gain.”

Manila has been employed by NJ Transit since December 2019 and had authority to purchase electronic equipment for employees and agency operations.

Second-degree theft charges in New Jersey carry potential penalties of five to ten years in state prison and fines up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry three to five years in prison and fines up to $15,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Rich Bobbe and Krysta Chotkowski, under the supervision of OPIA’s Corruption Bureau leadership.

All charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.