Former Congressional Staffer Stole 240 Cell Phones: DOJ

GLEN BURNIE, MD — A former Congressional staff member from Glen Burnie has been indicted in federal court on theft charges for stealing about 240 government cell phones worth an estimated $150,000, officials said.

Christopher Southerland, 43, was arrested Friday and charged in a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court for stealing the phones from the U.S. House of Representatives, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

"As alleged, stealing 240 government-issued phones worth over $150,000 is a direct betrayal of the public trust,” Pirro said in a statement. “That’s taxpayer money meant to serve Americans, not line someone’s pockets. Accountability matters — and no one is above the law.”

According to the government’s evidence, from about April 2020 until July 2023, Southerland worked as a system administrator for the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. As part of his job, Southerland was authorized to order cell phones for Committee staff members.

From January 2023 through May 2023, prosecutors said Southerland used his job to have 240 new government cell phones shipped directly to his home. During that time, there were about 80 staff members on the committee. Southerland sold over 200 of the cell phones to a nearby pawn shop.

As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Southerland told an employee at the pawn shop only to sell the phones “in parts” in order to bypass the House’s mobile device management software, which enables the government to remotely secure and monitor its phones.

The theft was discovered when one of the phones that Southerland stole was sold whole on eBay, according to a news release. When the purchaser first booted up the phone, the phone 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.