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Ex-congressional IT aide accused of stealing 240 government phones and selling them at pawn shop

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Ex-congressional IT aide accused of stealing 240 government phones and selling them at pawn shop

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A former congressional IT aide is accused of abusing his trusted access to steal roughly 240 taxpayer-funded cellphones worth more than $150,000, shipping them to his Maryland home and selling most of them at a pawn shop, federal prosecutors say.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that Christopher Southerland, 43, of Glen Burnie, Md., was arrested and charged in a federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court, accusing him of stealing about 240 government-issued cellphones from the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to evidence reviewed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and her office, Southerland worked from about April 2020 through July 2023 as a system administrator for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

In that role, Southerland was authorized to order mobile devices for committee staff, prosecutors said, giving him direct access to the internal system used to procure government-issued phones.

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Federal prosecutors say a former House IT aide abused trusted access to steal and sell 240 government cellphones, a scheme uncovered after one device surfaced online. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

From January 2023 through May 2023, Southerland allegedly used that authority to order roughly 240 new cellphones and have them shipped directly to his home, despite the committee having only about 80 staff members at the time.

Prosecutors say Southerland later sold more than 200 of the phones to a nearby pawn shop, converting the government property into personal cash.

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Federal prosecutors say a former House IT aide abused trusted access to steal and sell 240 government cellphones to a pawn shop, a scheme uncovered after one device surfaced online. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

As part of the alleged scheme, Southerland instructed a pawn shop employee to sell the devices “in parts,” investigators say, a move designed to bypass the House’s mobile device management software, which allows officials to remotely monitor and secure government phones.

The scheme began to unravel when one of the stolen phones was sold intact rather than dismantled, according to prosecutors.

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Federal prosecutors say a former House IT aide’s alleged scheme to steal and sell 240 government cellphones was uncovered when a buyer purchased one on eBay. (iStock)

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That device ultimately ended up listed on eBay and was purchased by an uninvolved buyer. When the buyer powered on the phone for the first time, a contact number for the House of Representatives Technology Service Desk appeared on the screen, the DOJ said.

The buyer called the number, prompting House officials to investigate and discover that multiple phones ordered under Southerland’s account were unaccounted for, prosecutors said.

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The case is being investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Green for the District of Columbia, with assistance from other federal prosecutors.

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Connecticut

Motorcyclist killed in Chevy Chase crash, shutting down Connecticut Avenue for hours

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Motorcyclist killed in Chevy Chase crash, shutting down Connecticut Avenue for hours


A motorcyclist died in a crash in Chevy Chase, Maryland, early Tuesday, shutting down a busy stretch of Connecticut Avenue for hours, police said.

A vehicle and a motorcyclist crashed near Manor Road and Connecticut Avenue, and officers responded about 6:15 a.m., Montgomery County police said.

Connecticut Avenue is closed between Manor Road and Jones Bridge Road, the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC) Program said about 10 a.m. Commuters should expect delays and look for other routes.

Access to Connecticut Avenue (also called MD-185) was blocked from the Inner and Outer loops of the Beltway, the MATOC Program said.

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“An extended closure is expected,” they said.

The crash happened about a half-mile south of the Capital Beltway (I-495) exit for Connecticut Avenue.

Information on the identity of the motorcyclist and the cause of the crash wasn’t immediately released.



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Maine

Regular gas tops $4, premium over $5 in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats

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Regular gas tops , premium over  in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats


Brady Chapman fills up one of four trucks he uses for his business Wednesday at Irving Gas Station in Bethel. Regular gas was $4.09 at the station. (Rose Lincoln/Staff Writer)

Maine’s average price for regular gasoline rose to its highest point since August 2022, as the conflict in Iran continues to drive up global oil costs.

A gallon of regular gas averaged $4.03 here Tuesday, ticking up more than 6 cents overnight, according to data aggregated by motor club AAA. That price has risen 38.5% — about $1.12 — since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel struck Iran, triggering a conflict that has since spilled into the broader Middle East.

Maine’s average price crossed the $4 threshold a week after the national average did so. The national average was up to $4.14 Tuesday, AAA data shows.

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Premium gas was up to $5.07 per gallon in Maine, topping $5 for the first time in nearly four years. Diesel, meanwhile, averaged about $5.90 per gallon Tuesday.

Collectively, those figures mark the state’s highest average gas prices since the summer of 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine drove gas prices to record highs. A gallon of regular gas peaked at $5.09 that June, the highest ever recorded by AAA.

This week, Maine’s prices were the 21st highest among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to AAA. California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada and Oregon all saw average prices above $5 per gallon Tuesday.

This is a developing story.

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts food insecurity hits record, annual report finds

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Massachusetts food insecurity hits record, annual report finds


Food insecurity is rising in Massachusetts while assistance programs are falling short, according to the latest annual report from the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham. The sixth annual Massachusetts Food Access Report finds that a record 40% of Massachusetts households experienced food insecurity during 2025. According to the authors, that equates to 1.1 million households across the Bay State. Additionally, the report finds that 25% of households report regularly missing meals or going hungry. Their conclusions are based on a survey of more than 3,000 adults across the state. The authors said the survey was conducted from October through December in three languages. “Our results are sobering: more people are struggling, and while they report accessing food and nutrition assistance programs like food pantries, SNAP, and WIC, they also say these programs are not enough. Every population—from families with young children to seniors—is struggling to afford food,” Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, who advised the research, wrote in a statement. Affordability remains a key challenge, with 88% of food-insecure households reporting difficulty paying for at least one basic expense and needing an average of $500 more per month to meet basic needs, according to the report. The report found 75% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants said they still need additional food support, while 78% receive less than $300 per month in benefits, according to the report. Meanwhile, the authors state that charities are playing an “increasingly essential role,” serving more than half of the state’s food-insecure households. “The call to action is clear: we must continue to invest in our emergency food system to meet this urgent and growing demand. And we must work together on implementing long-term solutions to poverty to empower everyone to live better, healthier, and more productive lives,” the Greater Boston Food Bank’s outgoing CEO, Catherine D’Amato, wrote in a statement. Among the recommendations included in the report are calls to increase state funding for nutrition programs, strengthen food insecurity screenings through the health care system, investments in local food systems and legislative changes to address societal issues that contribute to hunger, including income and housing inadequacy.WCVB partners with the GBFB for an annual day of giving.

Food insecurity is rising in Massachusetts while assistance programs are falling short, according to the latest annual report from the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham.

The sixth annual Massachusetts Food Access Report finds that a record 40% of Massachusetts households experienced food insecurity during 2025. According to the authors, that equates to 1.1 million households across the Bay State.

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Additionally, the report finds that 25% of households report regularly missing meals or going hungry.

Their conclusions are based on a survey of more than 3,000 adults across the state. The authors said the survey was conducted from October through December in three languages.

“Our results are sobering: more people are struggling, and while they report accessing food and nutrition assistance programs like food pantries, SNAP, and WIC, they also say these programs are not enough. Every population—from families with young children to seniors—is struggling to afford food,” Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, who advised the research, wrote in a statement.

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Affordability remains a key challenge, with 88% of food-insecure households reporting difficulty paying for at least one basic expense and needing an average of $500 more per month to meet basic needs, according to the report.

The report found 75% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants said they still need additional food support, while 78% receive less than $300 per month in benefits, according to the report. Meanwhile, the authors state that charities are playing an “increasingly essential role,” serving more than half of the state’s food-insecure households.

“The call to action is clear: we must continue to invest in our emergency food system to meet this urgent and growing demand. And we must work together on implementing long-term solutions to poverty to empower everyone to live better, healthier, and more productive lives,” the Greater Boston Food Bank’s outgoing CEO, Catherine D’Amato, wrote in a statement.

Among the recommendations included in the report are calls to increase state funding for nutrition programs, strengthen food insecurity screenings through the health care system, investments in local food systems and legislative changes to address societal issues that contribute to hunger, including income and housing inadequacy.

WCVB partners with the GBFB for an annual day of giving.

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