Javan King, a 42-year-old resident of Laurel, Maryland, has been charged with mail fraud in connection with the theft of thousands of government cell phones while employed as an information technology contractor for the Department of Justice (DOJ). The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
According to the criminal information filed on Tuesday and appearing on the court docket today, King allegedly defrauded the DOJ between 2021 and 2025. He is accused of requesting that the department order thousands of mobile devices that were not needed. Once shipped to him at the DOJ, King then sold these phones to phone reselling businesses. These businesses reportedly paid him more than $1.3 million for the devices.
The filing further alleges that the DOJ incurred an actual loss exceeding $1.3 million due to fees paid to AT&T for unnecessary phone lines and devices.
"This case is being investigated by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman."
An Information is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
