Man accused of stealing, selling computer parts

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Marion man will be arraigned June 15 in Linn County District Court on charges that he stole more than $50,000 worth of computer components from his former employer.

Marvin B. Bluedorn Sr., 51, was charged last month with first-degree theft. According to a criminal complaint, he's accused of taking computer chips, memory, drives and other parts from Crystal Group Inc., 850 Kacena Rd. in Hiawatha.

The complaint says Bluedorn took the items between Nov. 1, 2010, and last Nov. 21 and then sold them on the online auction site eBay, where he represented himself as a mechanical engineer with permission to liquidate the equipment.

Hiawatha investigators contacted people who bought the items, the complaint said, and they also subpoenaed records from Bluedorn's eBay account and the bank account where he accepted payments. Officers reportedly found shipping labels and receipts related to the scheme as well when they searched Bluedorn's home.