York Twp. phone tech allegedly stole customers' nude photos
A man who serviced phones at two Verizon Wireless authorized retailers is accused of sending personal photos of customers to himself, according to police.
York Area Regional Police say Cristian Adonis Santiago, 23, sent customers' photos, some of which included them naked, to himself while he was working on their phones at the store.
Police found 115 pictures of men and women in various stages of undress, and were able to identify four of the people, all of whom told police they didn't give Santiago permission to have the photos, court documents state.
Santiago, of the 1000 block of East Market Street, York City, is charged with three counts each of computer theft, unlawful use of a computer and unlawful duplication as well as four counts each of invasion of privacy and invasion of privacy by transferring an image by phone.
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Investigation: In early September, a woman called York Area Regional Police and told them that an email containing nude images of her were sent from her email account to an unknown email in late August, court documents state.
That unknown email account, according to police, belonged to Santiago, who was assisting the victim with her phone during the time the email was sent. Police said the victim left the phone with Santiago at the 2704 S. Queen St. store and came back later to pick it up.
Police spoke to Santiago in September, and he admitted to finding the images of the victim and sending them to his Gmail account, officials said.
He said it was the first time he had ever done something like that and that he had never before saved images or forwarded them, court documents state.
Other images: But a search of his phone proved otherwise, police said.
Police found 115 images of multiple women and men in various states of undress or engaging in sexual acts, officials said.
Officials identified a woman featured in 19 of those images, and she told police she went to the Verizon Wireless authorized retailer at 3212 Cape Horn Road, in York Township, to purchase a phone in March, according to charging documents.
Police said Santiago transferred the data from her old phone onto her new phone.
In late September, police spoke with a man featured with another woman in a video found on Santiago's phone, and that man told authorities he purchased a phone at the Verizon Wireless authorized retailer at 3212 Cape Horn Road in York Township and Santiago transferred the data from his old phone to his new one, court documents state.
He told police that one video and six images were saved on his phone, and three of the images had women dressed and nude, according to police.
The man told police that a woman in the pictures sent them to him, charging documents state. That woman confirmed that information to police and said she never sent the images to Santiago, officials said. She told authorities she didn't know who Santiago was, according to officials.
Charges were filed Tuesday, Oct. 2., and Santiago was arraigned on the charges that day. District Judge Scott Laird set bail at $5,000 unsecured, meaning that Santiago could forfeit up to that amount if he does not show up to court proceedings.
His attorney, Sandra Thompson, declined comment when reached Tuesday.
On Friday, Oct. 5, Kathryn Wiley, chief legal officer for The Cellular Co., which owns the two retailers, said Santiago was promptly terminated when the allegations came to light.
"We obviously take these kind of matters incredibly seriously," she said.
She said TCC is working with authorities in the investigation.
Santiago's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19 at Laird's office.
— Reach Christopher Dornblaser at cdornblaser@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @YDDornblaser.