Man Pleads Guilty In Theft Of Cell Phones

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that Frank Senibaldi, 46, of Lynn has pled guilty in Middlesex Superior Court to charges of breaking and entering a building in the nighttime, larceny over $250 (2 counts), malicious destruction of property, possession of a burglarious instrument, and leaving the scene causing personal injury.

Judge Douglas Wilkins sentenced Senibaldi to 5 and a half to 7 years in state prison followed by 3 years probation, with conditions to include that Senibaldi have no contact and stay away from the victim in this case.

“This defendant thought he had gotten away with thousands of dollars worth of inventory,” said District Attorney Ryan. “What he did not know is that T-Mobile had heard about the theft of cell phones from stores elsewhere, and, being proactive, put GPS into some inventory at its store in Stoneham. This case was solved with good old fashioned police work and the use of new technology, the GPS devices which led police directly to Senibaldi.”

"Aggressive, diligent investigative work by Stoneham Police Detectives, working in partnership with the business community and our partners in neighboring communities, allowed us to bring a career criminal to justice in this case," Stoneham Police Chief James McIntyre said. "I am proud of the work that was put into this case, and I want to thank District Attorney Marian Ryan's office for bringing the case forward to its conclusion."

On September 9, 2013, the Stoneham Police Department received a call indicating that an alarm was going off at the T-Mobile store in Stoneham. Police officers went to the scene and confirmed a break-in and saw signs that merchandise had been stolen, but found no suspects. Detectives then activated the GPS system which had been planted in some cell phone inventory in the T-Mobile store and GPS showed the stolen merchandise was at a location on Route 128 near the Wakefield and Lynnfield town line. Police officers went to that location and found the defendant there involved in a motor vehicle accident. Police saw dozens of cell-phones inside the vehicle which had been driven by Senibaldi,

The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant District Attorney Craig Estes. The Victim Witness Advocate is Kristin Dagnelli.