WASHINGTON (7News) — A former U.S. House of Representatives employee has been charged with stealing approximately 240 government cell phones, valued at over $150,000, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced.
Christopher Southerland, 43, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was arrested Friday following a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court.
Southerland, who worked for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as a system administrator from April 2020 until July 2023, allegedly ordered cell phones intended for committee staff members. Between January and May 2023, he reportedly had 240 new government cell phones shipped directly to his home, despite there being only about 80 staff members on the committee at the time.