Christopher Southerland, a former system administrator for the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was arrested and charged in connection with the theft of approximately 240 government cell phones. The indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court, alleges that Southerland used his position to order and divert the devices, valued at over $150,000, to his home in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the arrest. According to evidence presented by prosecutors, Southerland worked for the committee from April 2020 until July 2023 and was responsible for ordering cell phones for staff members. However, between January and May 2023, he allegedly arranged for hundreds of new phones to be shipped directly to him despite there being only about 80 staff members on the committee during that period.
Authorities allege that Southerland sold more than 200 of these phones to a local pawn shop. He is also accused of instructing a pawn shop employee to sell the devices "in parts" so as to circumvent mobile device management software used by the House to secure its equipment.
The scheme came to light when one stolen phone was resold intact on eBay. The buyer contacted the House Technology Service Desk after seeing their contact information upon activating the device. This led House employees to discover that several phones ordered by Southerland were missing.
The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Capitol Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Green is prosecuting the case with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Sabena Auyeung and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Courtney.
"An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," stated authorities.
