Former Congressional IT Aide Charged with Theft of Government Cell Phones
A former IT aide in Congress is facing serious allegations for misusing his access to steal around 240 taxpayer-funded cell phones, totaling over $150,000. The phones were reportedly shipped to his home in Maryland, and most were sold at a pawn shop, according to federal prosecutors.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Christopher Sutherland, 43, from Glen Burnie, Maryland, had been arrested and was charged following a federal indictment. He is accused of stealing these government-issued devices from the House of Representatives.
According to information obtained by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office, Sutherland served as a systems administrator for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from about April 2020 until July 2023.
In this position, he had the ability to order mobile devices for employees and access to internal systems for procuring government cell phones, prosecutors stated.
During the period from January to May 2023, Sutherland allegedly misused his authority to order around 240 new phones, which he had sent straight to his home, despite the fact that the committee had just about 80 staff members at that time.
It is believed that he sold over 200 of these phones to a local pawn shop, turning government property into cash for himself.
As part of his alleged scheme, Sutherland instructed pawnshop employees to sell components of the devices in an attempt to circumvent the House’s mobile device management software, which allows for remote monitoring of the phones.
The scheme fell apart when one of the stolen phones was sold intact. Eventually, it made its way onto eBay and caught the attention of an unsuspecting buyer. When that buyer powered on the phone, the contact number for the House of Representatives Technology Services Desk appeared, leading to an investigation.
Buyers who saw the number reached out, prompting House officials to look into the matter and discover that multiple phones purchased through Sutherland’s account were unaccounted for.
This case is under investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI, with prosecution managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Green from the District of Columbia, among others.
