Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty To Cell Phone Scam At Woodbury AT&T

A 20-year-old Minneapolis pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of theft by swindle after police said he bought five mobile phones from the store using a fraudulent business account.

According to a Washington County warrant complaint, Marcus Phillip Coleman opened a corporate account in the name of Absolute Sound—a Waukegan, Ill. company—and proceeded to purchase five Blackberry Torch phones on Aug. 3. 

Police also say Coleman returned to the store two weeks later to purchase five more phones, but the transaction was declined. 

According to the complaint, the owner of Absolute Sound contacted Woodbury police on Aug. 31 after his local police department learned from AT&T that the fraudulent account was opened at the Woodbury store.  

The AT&T employee who sold the phones to Coleman picked the man out of a photo lineup on Sept. 1 at the .

Coleman was released on his own recognizance after pleading guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on March 30.

Theft by swindle carries with it a maximum penalty of five years and a $10,000 fine.