Congressional staffer allegedly used his position to steal 240 cell phones
WASHINGTON (7News) — A former employee of the U.S. House of Representatives has been charged with stealing approximately 240 government cellphones, worth more than $150,000, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced.
Christopher Southerland, 43, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was arrested Friday following a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court.
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Southerland, who worked for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as a systems administrator from April 2020 to July 2023, allegedly ordered cell phones for use by committee staff members. Between January and May 2023, he reportedly had 240 new government cell phones shipped directly to his home, even though the committee then had only about 80 staff members.
According to the indictment, Southerland sold more than 200 of these phones to a nearby pawn shop. He allegedly asked a pawn shop employee to sell the phones “in parts” to circumvent the House’s mobile device management software, which allows security and remote monitoring of his phones.
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The scheme came to light when one of the stolen phones was sold whole on eBay. The buyer, after activating the phone, saw a contact number for the technology department of the House of Representatives and called it. This led to the discovery that several phones ordered by Southerland were missing.
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The investigation is being conducted by the United States Capitol Police and the FBI, and the prosecution is being led by Assistant United States Attorney Jake Green for the District of Columbia.
