Man sentenced for stealing cell phones

An Anchorage man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for theft of approximately 400 cell phones from the U.S. mail.

Jermaine N. Sails, 42, a former supervisor at International Bridge Inc., a firm that handled the mail on a contract basis, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline on Sept. 25 for theft of the phones and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents Sails, as a supervisor, had access to a secure storage area at International Bridge. Starting in October 2016, Sails would enter the secure area after hours and remove mail parcels containing cell phones, which he then sold through various means for an average of $150 apiece.

On Aug. 31, 2017, he was caught in the act of stealing three cell phones, said U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder. After his arrest, Sails consented to a search of his vehicle, where postal service agents discovered a loaded 9mm handgun. As a previously convicted felon, Sails was unlawfully in possession of the weapon.

Sails pleaded guilty in June 2018 to all charges. In addition to the prison sentence, Beistline ordered Sails to pay $50,633 in restitution for the value of the stolen cell phones. He was placed on a three-year period of supervised release following service of his custody sentence and the firearm was forfeited to the government.

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