CALIFORNIA COMPUTER STOLEN FROM NON PROFIT FOUNDATIONSan Mateo Daily JournalComputer gear stolen from local nonprofit
By Michelle Durand

A 31-year-old Redwood City man pleaded not guilty Friday to stealing computer equipment from a San Mateo nonprofit foundation multiple times throughout the month of November.

Dephonso Duplessis, also known as ?The Fonz,? appeared in court Friday on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property and possession of methamphetamine. He pleaded not guilty and returns to court Dec. 6 with a private defender for a preliminary hearing on the evidence.


According to prosecutors, Duplessis stole property from the Peninsula Community Foundation numerous times beginning Nov. 12. No forced entry was used to enter the charitable foundation located on South El Camino Real in San Mateo.


Among the equipment stolen were six laptops and a computer monitor. A few days after the burglaries were discovered, the stolen property was found in the possession of other people. Each person allegedly fingered Duplessis as the person who gave the stolen goods to them and one individual participated in a police sting to catch him.


When arrested, Duplessis was allegedly driving a stolen car and had methamphetamine. He also reportedly implicated another man in the crime.


If convicted, Duplessis faces a second criminal strike on his record which will double any sentence. In 2002, he pleaded no contest to robbing an inhabited dwelling and was sent to prison for four years.


He remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail.



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