New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) announced Monday that criminal charges have been filed against a New Jersey Transit employee accused of orchestrating a long-running scheme to resell state-purchased cellphones for personal profit.
Peejay Manila, 37, of Hackensack, has been charged with two counts of theft—one second-degree and one third-degree—as well as one count of third-degree receiving stolen property. Authorities allege that between November 2020 and April 2025, Manila sold approximately 850 devices, primarily iPhones, to various cellphone buy-back companies, collecting more than $700,000 in payments.
According to the complaint, Manila was authorized to purchase mobile devices on behalf of NJ Transit for use by employees in the course of their work. However, investigators allege he used that authority to purchase phones with agency funds and then sold them to private companies in exchange for personal payments.
The investigation was conducted by OPIA’s Corruption Bureau. Authorities executed search warrants on May 8, 2025, at Manila’s home, vehicle, and NJ Transit office. During the searches, law enforcement reportedly recovered around 20 cellphones, including 11 in unopened packaging. Nine of the devices were discovered packaged in bubble wrap and placed in a shipping box labeled for delivery to a buy-back company. Investigators allege the majority of the seized phones were purchased through Manila’s role at NJ Transit.
“These devices were owned by a state agency, purchased using fare proceeds and tax dollars,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. “As alleged, instead of being used for the public’s benefit, the defendant sold them for personal gain.”
Attorney General Platkin added, “The defendant is accused of betraying the trust of his employer and the public by using state funds for personal enrichment. We remain committed to rooting out corruption at all levels.”
If convicted, Manila faces potential penalties of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000 on the second-degree charge. Third-degree charges carry a possible sentence of three to five years in prison and fines up to $15,000.
The charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Rich Bobbe and Krysta Chotkowski under the supervision of the OPIA Corruption Bureau.