Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) have announced criminal charges against a New Jersey Transit employee accused of selling phones purchased with agency funds for personal profit. The individual, Peejay Manila, 37, from Hackensack, New Jersey, has been charged with two counts of theft and receiving stolen property.
The charges follow an investigation by the OPIA Corruption Bureau. According to the complaint, Manila allegedly sold NJ Transit-owned iPhones to cellphone buy-back companies after purchasing them using NJ Transit funds meant for official purposes.
Attorney General Platkin stated, "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." Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA added that these devices were owned by a state agency and should have been used for public benefit.
The investigation revealed that between November 2020 and September 2024, Manila sold approximately 850 phones and other electronic devices to a trade-in company. It is alleged that most of these devices were purchased by New Jersey Transit from a cellphone provider. The sales reportedly netted Manila over $700,000 in payments.
Further allegations suggest that from November 2024 through April 2025, he continued selling cellphones to additional buy-back companies. Law enforcement executed search warrants on May 8 at Manila's apartment, office, and vehicle. Police found about 20 cellphones at his residence; many were new and unopened.
Second-degree charges could result in five to ten years in state prison with fines up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry sentences of three to five years with fines up to $15,000.
Deputy Attorneys General Rich Bobbe and Krysta Chotkowski are prosecuting under supervision from Corruption Bureau Interim Deputy Bureau Chief Amanda Nini along with Bureau Co-Directors Jeff Manis and Eric Gibson.
Defense counsel remains unknown at this time.
