If you get a job at Verizon Wireless ( or anywhere , really ) it 's probably a good idea not to steal the company 's merchandise and sell it online . Seems obvious , but one Pennsylvania man is now learning that lesson the hard way . James Hopkins , 35 , of Telford , Pa. was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison for stealing more than 900 cellphones and accessories from his former employer and selling them online for a profit , the Justice Department announced . The sentencing comes after Hopkins pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark , N.J. last year to charges of mail fraud , U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said . Hopkins worked as an account executive at a Verizon Wireless store in Trevose , Pa. while the scheme was going on . Between February and November 2009 , he placed numerous orders for Verizon Wireless cell phones , handheld devices , and accessories in the names of customers without their knowledge , prosecutors said . He tried to cover his tracks by having the devices shipped to a relative 's home in New Jersey , and manipulating Verizon 's computer database to conceal the bogus orders and shipments . " Hopkins received $ 328,517 worth of stolen Verizon Wireless merchandise , which he sold on eBay for a profit of $ 272,290 , " the Justice Department said . In addition to his 27 - month prison term , Hopkins was ordered to serve two years of supervised release , pay $ 303,623 in restitution , and forfeit $ 272,290 . Meanwhile , Hopkins is n't the first Verizon employee to go rogue . The mobile carrier back in 2008 fired several employees for accessing the cell phone records of then President - elect Barack Obama . ;