MERIDEN — A former employee of Tradebe Environmental Services faces charges after police said he used his position to fraudulently purchase over a thousand iPhones in 2019. 

Brian Pearsall, 45, of 403 Tiffany Lane, Bristol, was charged Sunday with first-degree larceny. 

In August 2019, Tradebe representatives reported that Pearsall, the IT infrastructure administrator at the time, “used his position to steal a large quantity of Apple iPhones from the company and then sold them for his own personal gain,” according to a police report.

Tradebe is a global hazarous waste management company with offices on Hobart Street and Gracey Avenue, according to its website.

Pearsall was authorized to order new or replacement phones from Verizon Wireless’ online portal, which were charged to Tradebe.  

A representative from Verizon contacted Tradebe on Aug. 6, 2019 after an audit showed that over 2,000 iPhone 7s were purchased in the previous 12 months for 99 cents each, the report said. Only 200 of the phones were activated on the Tradebe account. 

The Tradebe IT department noted that about 500 to 600 iPhones were currently distributed to the company’s U.S. employees, the report said.. 

A Tradebe employee contacted Pearsall by email, questioning the number of iPhones purchased. According to the police report, Pearsall replied that he bought extra phones and was “hustling on the side and selling them.” His employment was terminated on Aug. 12, 2019. 

A large number of packages would reportedly arrive for Pearsall at the company’s office at 234 Hobart St. and he would pick them up after hours or on the weekend. In addition to the iPhones,  there were several other devices that were purchased at higher costs to Tradebe, resulting in a loss of about $22,764, the report said.

Pearsall was released on $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Aug. 20. 

lsellew@record-journal.com203-317-2225Twitter: @LaurenSellewRJ