A system administrator for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was arrested and charged with stealing approximately 240 government-issued cellphones valued at more than $150,000.
Christopher Southerland, 43, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was arrested Friday and charged with theft of government property, according to a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
As a system administrator, Southerland was authorized to order cellphones for committee staff members, the Department of Justice said Monday in a news release.
From January 2023 through May 2023, Southerland allegedly used his position to ship 240 new government cellphones to his home in Maryland.
At the time, there were approximately 80 staff members on the Committee.
Southerland then sold more than 200 of the cellphones to a nearby pawn shop, according to the DOJ.
Southerland allegedly directed an employee at the pawn shop to sell the phones "in parts" in order to bypass the House's mobile device management software, which enables the House to remotely secure and monitor its phones.
The scheme unraveled when one of the phones Southerland allegedly stole was sold whole on eBay to an unrelated purchaser, the DOJ alleged.
When the purchaser booted up the phone, it displayed a phone number for the House of Representatives Technology Service Desk.
The purchaser called that number, and House employees soon discovered that several phones purchased by Southerland were unaccounted for.
The indictment also included a forfeiture notice, meaning prosecutors will seek to seize any property or proceeds tied to the alleged theft if Southerland is convicted.
In that event, the government could pursue the return of the stolen items or seek a monetary judgment equal to their value.
If the property cannot be recovered, prosecutors would be allowed to pursue other assets owned by the defendant to satisfy the forfeiture, the indictment stated.
Court records showed Southerland was released pending trial under standard conditions, with no home confinement or electronic monitoring ordered.
He is barred from traveling outside the continental U.S. without court approval and is scheduled to appear next on Jan. 21 before U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.
Newsmax reached out to Southerland's public defender, Elizabeth Mullin, for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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