Walnel M. Mordon Soto, 37, has been charged with two felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, along with a misdemeanor count of false identification to law enforcement. Court records show the case remains active, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 25 after an earlier hearing was continued.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Pennsylvania State Police, Troopers responded to ID Logistics, located at 71 Mall Road in New Castle Township, on May 5 for a reported theft.
Police said ID Logistics security told investigators that as the overnight shift ended, an employee identified as Lewis Mordan triggered an alarm while passing through a security checkpoint. After being searched with a handheld metal detector, the employee allegedly handed security a plastic bag containing 10 Trident Micro Chips that had been concealed in an inner coat pocket.
Investigators said the microchips were valued at $979.99 each, for a total value of $9,799.90.
According to the affidavit, the employee admitted the chips had been taken from ID Logistics.
The investigation took another turn on July 5, when troopers from PSP Hazleton responded to assist Hazleton police with a large crowd that had gathered during a traffic stop at the intersection of East Diamond Avenue and Carson Street.
During that incident, police encountered a man who identified himself as Lewis Mordan Soto. A records check showed an active arrest warrant related to the Schuylkill County theft investigation.
State police said the man then told troopers the warrant was not actually for him and claimed he had used Lewis Mordan Soto's identity to obtain employment at ID Logistics.
According to the affidavit, investigators reviewed body camera footage from the original theft investigation, which showed the employee at ID Logistics wearing a name tag bearing Lewis Mordan Soto's name. After the man was fingerprinted, police determined his true identity to be Walnel M. Mordon Soto and alleged he had provided false identification to Trooper Viscomi during the earlier investigation.
Court records show Mordon Soto was arrested July 5. Bail was initially set at $50,000 monetary, and he was released from Schuylkill County Prison on July 6 after a private surety posted the full amount in cash.
A preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Edward M. Lewis is scheduled for August 25th, 2026.