US gov’t: House sysadmin stole 200 phones, caught by House IT desk

According to the government’s version of events, 43-year-old Christopher Southerland was working in 2023 as a sysadmin for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and had authority to order cell phones for around 80 staffers. In the early months of 2023, he allegedly ordered 240 brand-new phones—far more than the staff total—and shipped them to his Maryland home.

The government claims he sold over 200 of these phones to a local pawn shop, instructing resellers to dispose of them “in parts” to evade the House’s mobile device management software, with at least one phone eventually appearing on eBay and being sold to a member of the public.

A buyer who rejected the expected operating system boot found a phone number for the House of Representatives Technology Service Desk on the device, triggering a broader investigation that uncovered several unaccounted-for handsets and revealed that the scheme had cost more than $150,000. Southerland was indicted in December 2025, arrested on 8 January 2026, pled not guilty, and was released on personal recognisance with a court date scheduled for later this month.