Javan King, a 42-year-old resident of Laurel, Maryland, has been charged with mail fraud for allegedly stealing thousands of government cell phones while working as an information technology contractor for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
According to the criminal information filed in court, between 2021 and 2025, King is accused of defrauding the Department of Justice (DOJ) by requesting thousands of mobile devices that were not needed by the agency. After receiving the phones at DOJ, he then sold them to phone reselling businesses. These businesses reportedly paid him more than $1.3 million for the devices.
The filing further alleges that the DOJ suffered an actual loss exceeding $1.3 million due to fees paid to AT&T for unnecessary phone lines and devices.
The case is under investigation by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General and 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,” stated officials.