Christopher Southerland, a 43-year-old resident of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was arrested and charged in connection with the theft of approximately 240 government-issued cell phones from the U.S. House of Representatives. The total value of the stolen devices exceeds $150,000. The charges were announced after a federal indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court.
“As alleged, stealing 240 government-issued phones worth over $150,000 is a direct betrayal of the public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “That’s taxpayer money meant to serve Americans, not line someone’s pockets. Accountability matters – and no one is above the law.”
According to investigators, Southerland worked as a system administrator for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure between April 2020 and July 2023. His responsibilities included ordering cell phones for committee staff members.
From January to May 2023, Southerland allegedly arranged for 240 new government cell phones to be shipped directly to his home address in Maryland, despite there being only about 80 staff members on the committee at that time. Authorities say he sold more than 200 of these phones to a local pawn shop.
The indictment states that Southerland instructed an employee at the pawn shop to sell the devices “in parts” in order to avoid detection by bypassing security features that allow remote monitoring and securing by House technology staff. The scheme came to light when one of the stolen phones was resold whole on eBay; upon activation by its new owner, it displayed contact information for the House Technology Service Desk. This led to an inquiry revealing multiple missing devices linked back to Southerland’s orders.
The investigation is being conducted by both the U.S. Capitol Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Green is leading prosecution efforts for the District of Columbia with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Sabena Auyeung and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Courtney.
Officials remind that an indictment is not proof of guilt: all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
