A Philadelphia man who was working as a cleaning contractor at the Merck facility on Sumneytown Pike has been arrested after allegedly stealing more than $15,000 in cash and checks from employees across the campus.
Joseph Cebollero, 36, has been charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking, felony and misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, eight felony counts of forgery, felony identity theft, and related offenses, in connection with an investigation by the Upper Gwynedd Police Department.
Police were initially contacted in August 2020 after an employee reported the theft of $60 cash from their wallet, as well as an unauthorized DoorDash charge of $17 made on his debit card. The victim told police the wallet was left in a backpack in their cubicle inside building 38A of the campus.
The criminal complaint identifies an additional four victims who similarly reported having cash, checks, and credit cards stolen from their desks or cubicles. Multiple witnesses described seeing a thin Black male with a faded tattoo over his right eye being on location at the time of the thefts, and the male was later identified as Cebollero — an employee of a third-party cleaning contractor servicing the campus, police said.
According to the criminal complaint, Cebollero opened multiple bank accounts and deposited some of the stolen checks into those accounts. Other checks were made out to different individuals, with the total amount stolen exceeding $15,700, police said.
Investigators made contact with Cebollero by phone in February 2021, and when asked if he knew what incidents they were referring to, he allegedly replied “Yeah, that was a mistake on my part.” Charges were officially filed on Sept. 13, 2021, and an arrest warrant was issued, however Cebollero was able to avoid apprehension until last week.
Cebollero was taken into custody on Aug. 24 and arraigned by District Judge Suzan Leonard, who set bail at $5,000 cash. Court records show bail was reduced to $77 upon review, indicating a probation detainer had been filed, however that detainer did not keep him in custody and records show he posted $77 on Aug. 26.
Cebollero remains free as he awaits his preliminary hearing, scheduled for Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. in front of Judge Leonard.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child's current custody status.
See also:
Chalfont Man Accused of Sexual Communication with 10-Year-Old, Child Porn Possession
Man Who Fled Lansdale After Sexual Assault Accusation Apprehended by US Marshals in California
