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WASHINGTON - A Maryland man who worked as an IT contractor for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was sentenced Tuesday after authorities said he orchestrated a yearslong fraud scheme involving thousands of government-issued cell phones.
What we know:
Federal prosecutors said 42-year-old Javan King, of Laurel, used his position within the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division to obtain mobile devices the agency did not actually need. According to court records, the phones were later sold to resellers, generating more than $1.3 million in proceeds.
Investigators said the operation lasted from 2021 through 2025, while he was employed by the federal government.
Authorities added that the money from the sales was used for personal expenses that included casino gambling, sports betting, travel, tuition payments and the purchase of a luxury SUV.
The investigation began after a woman in Kentucky alerted the Justice Department that an iPhone she had purchased online appeared to belong to the federal government, prosecutors said.
What's next:
King received a sentence of one year and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to mail fraud, according to the DOJ. A judge also ordered him to complete two years of supervised release and repay the money to the government.
Officials determined the DOJ suffered financial losses not only from the devices themselves, but also from wireless service charges tied to the unused phones.
The Source: Information from the United States Department of Justice.