Burnsville man charged in phone thefts

A Burnsville man hired to perform technical work at Verizon stores in Eden Prairie and Bloomington has been charged with four felony counts of theft after allegedly stealing high-value smartphones from store inventory rooms.

Brian James Anderson, 60, was charged July 10 in Hennepin County District Court. Prosecutors allege he took four phones – each valued between $1,199.99 and $1,500 – while working as a contracted technician at the two locations.

According to the criminal complaint, Eden Prairie police responded July 8 to the Verizon store in the 8000 block of Flying Cloud Drive after a company that tracks stolen devices reported one of its phones was moving in real time. Officers traced the device to a vehicle near Cub Foods on Den Road and conducted a traffic stop.

The driver, identified as Anderson, allegedly told officers he had taken the phone. That device, valued at $1,500, matched the store’s internal tracker. Police also found a second unsold phone, worth $1,399, in the vehicle’s glove compartment. Both devices had reportedly been stored in a secure inventory room.

An internal Verizon investigation later connected Anderson to a June 30 incident at the company’s Bloomington store in the 7800 block of Southtown Center. Surveillance video allegedly showed Anderson entering the inventory room, placing two phones into a rolling bag and leaving. The phones, valued at $1,199.99 each, were never recovered.

Each charge accuses Anderson of taking property without consent and with the intent to permanently deprive the owner. The felony theft charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Anderson was arrested July 8 and released from the Hennepin County Jail two days later. He was conditionally released after posting $5,000 bail and ordered to comply with geographic restrictions, appear in court as scheduled, and remain law-abiding.

An omnibus hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26 before Judge Marta Chou. Anderson has not entered a plea.