Former congressional employee sold stolen government phones for $150k

A former congressional IT aide has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than 200 taxpayer-funded cellphones worth over $150,000 and selling them for cash, federal prosecutors say.

Christopher Southerland, who worked as a system administrator for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from April 2020 to July 2023, is accused of abusing his access to government systems, reports Fox News.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Southerland was authorised to order mobile devices for staff, giving him direct access to the internal procurement system.

Prosecutors say that between January and May 2023, he ordered roughly 240 new phones and had them shipped to his Maryland home, despite the committee having only about 80 staff members.

More than 200 of the devices were allegedly sold to a nearby pawn shop. Investigators claim Southerland instructed the shop to sell the phones in parts to avoid detection by government software, but the plan began to fail when one phone was sold whole.

The U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI are investigating the case. Southerland has been charged in a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court.

The case highlights concerns over insider access and the misuse of government resources, officials say.