Former MBTA cleaner charged with $120,000-plus theft

BOSTON, December 23, 2025 – A Lynn man will return to court in January on charges that he stole and sold more than $120,000 worth of network transceivers from the MBTA IT department, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.  

MARCELO BATISTA-SALES, 39, was arraigned November 24 in BMC Central for larceny over $1200. Judge Mark Summerville set bail at $2000 and ordered Batista-Sales to stay away from MBTA headquarters. Batista-Sales will return to court January 22 for a pretrial hearing.

On September 18, MBTA Transit Police responded to the MBTA IT department located at 10 Park Plaza for a report of 40 Cisco Network modules stolen from their office. Each module is worth approximately $3,069, making the total value of stolen equipment over $120,000. 

MBTA Senior Director of Infrastructure and Operations conducted an eBay search to locate past sales of the modules in question. During his search, he discovered an eBay account by the username of “marcbatist27” which had sold 51 Cisco Network modules. Transit police conducted an investigation leading to the arrest of Batista-Sales, who was employed as a cleaner and had access to secure areas of the MBTA headquarters building.

“This is a major theft from a public agency dedicated to moving nearly one million people each day around the metro Boston area, so it’s really a theft from all of us.  I thank the MBTA investigators for their work in identifying a person to answer for this offense,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications