Staff Reports
A former Department of Justice contractor has been sentenced to a year behind bars for running a scheme that siphoned off more than $1.3 million by stealing and reselling government cell phones. The case wraps up with a prison term, a stiff restitution bill, and a reminder that even inside federal walls, opportunity can turn into theft when controls are weak.
The sentence and restitution
U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb gave Javan King a sentence of 12 months and one day in prison. The court also ordered two years of supervised release and a restitution payment of $1,319,172.85 to the government. King had pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud after federal prosecutors said he resold thousands of government phones. Prosecutors had asked for 24 months, so the judge’s shorter term raised eyebrows.
How the scheme worked
King worked as an IT contractor for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division from 2021 to 2025. Prosecutors say he arranged for the Department to order devices it did not need, then diverted the deliveries to resellers. More than 4,800 phones were taken and sold, generating over $1.3 million in proceeds. The money was spent on gambling, trips, private school tuition, and a down payment on a $92,000 Range Rover, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The scheme unraveled when a private buyer flagged a DOJ phone and the DOJ Office of Inspector General opened an investigation.
A betrayal of public trust — and a light lesson?
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro called the theft “a brazen betrayal of the public trust.” She’s right. A contractor with ordering power exploited that power and drained taxpayers. Still, some will wonder whether a one-year sentence sends a strong enough message to insiders tempted to do the same. Steal thousands of devices, gamble away the cash, and get a year in the slammer? That looks like a warning with a soft edge.
Fixing the problem for taxpayers
This case should push the DOJ and lawmakers to tighten procurement controls and contractor oversight. Limit who can place orders. Reconcile deliveries quickly. Audit inventory often. The OIG did its job once the theft was spotted, but prevention matters more than cleanup. Taxpayers should not be the safety net for lapses in basic controls. If the government won’t secure its own gear, the public will keep paying the bill.
