NEWARK -- The mystery over the missing cell phone that Gov. Chris Christie used during the period when there were legislative hearings on the brewing Bridgegate scandal has been solved.

The phone, which lawyers for Bridgegate defendants Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly have been seeking, is in the custody of Christie's personal lawyer, Christopher Wray of King and Spalding.

Brian Murray, a spokesman for Christie, confirmed that Wray has the phone.

The news that Christie's lawyer has the phone comes just after a federal judge ruled Thursday against Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, who issued a subpoena for the phone, as well as the electronic devices used by other top Christie staffers.

The defendants were hoping to get the phone and other devices used by Christie and his top staff to see what may have been discussed about the alleged politically motivated September 2013 lane closures at the George Washington Bridge. At issue in the federal corruption case are a dozen deleted text messages sent between Christie and his then-chief of staff, Regina Egea, during testimony by Port Authority staff before the state Legislature then investigating the 2013 shutdown of local toll lanes at the bridge.

Wray did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statehouse press conference in early May, Christie said he didn't know the whereabouts of the phone.

"I haven't had it for two-plus years, but it's in the hands of the government as far as I know," Christie said. "I don't know exactly who physically has it. But I turned it over in response to requests from the government, as I said I would."

Christie also said at the time that he was "not going to get in the middle" of the legal fight.

Prosecutors said they never had the phone.

The law firm representing the governor's office -- not Wray's firm -- said it had Christie's communications devices analyzed for information responsive to prosecutors' demands. In a court filing, the attorney representing the office, Randy Mastro, said his firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, "returned" the phone, although the brief did not say to whom or when it was returned.

Michael Baldassare, Baroni's lawyer, said after the judge's ruling Thursday that he would issue new subpoenas when the trial begins for the devices then used by Christie and some key staffers.

Baroni and Kelly face a host of charges alleging that they conspired to cause massive traffic jams in Fort Lee through the lane closures as political retribution.

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.