A massive criminal investigation is ongoing at Apple whose global security director has been charged with bribery for allegedly offering 200 hundred iPads to police officers in California in exchange for weapons permits for four employees of the company.
Apple’s Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer was said to have promised to give the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office the 200 iPads, whose worth is about $70,000, in exchange for being issued concealed weapons permits (CCW) for employees of the company. This deputation was made by Santa Clara county’s district attorney in a statement this week. The proposed deal was jettisoned at the last minute.
Also charged for complicity in the alleged crime, is Captain James Jensen and Undersheriff Rick Sung for soliciting the gifts, the statement also said. The investigation spanning two years also revealed that the permits were going to be withheld until the iPads had been delivered to the police officers.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen, in the statement further stated that “Undersheriff Sung and Captain Jensen treated CCW licenses as commodities and found willing buyers,” Furthermore, Rosen said; “Bribe seekers should be reported to the District Attorney’s Office, not rewarded with compliance.”
Also implicated in the bribe-for-permit criminal web is an insurance broker who offered $6,000 in luxury sports seats in exchange for weapons permits that usually cost less than $400 in most cases, according to the district attorney’s office.
It is unclear yet the names of the four employees that sought the weapons permit with Moyer’s assistance.
According to the district attorney’s statement, the group abandoned the plans “when Sung and Moyer learned of the search warrant that the District Attorney’s Office executed at the Sheriff’s Office seizing all its CCW license records.”
Moyer’s lawyer, Ed Swanson in a written statement said “Tom Moyer is innocent of the charges filed against him, He did nothing wrong and has acted with the highest integrity throughout his career. We have no doubt he will be acquitted at trial.”
The lawyer, however, did not deny the iPads gift, saying they were not part of a bribe. “Apple did offer to donate iPads. And Apple did apply for CCW permits. But those two things are unrelated. There was no quid pro quo,” he insisted.
“Ultimately, this case is about a long, bitter, and very public dispute between the Santa Clara County Sheriff and the District Attorney, and Tom is collateral damage to that dispute.”
Swanson recalled Tom Moyer’s unblemished record of service with the Navy and his 14 years of work at Apple, stating that he was “a hardworking, decent man. He does not deserve to have his good name tarnished by these baseless charges.”
The four accused persons will be arraigned on January 11, 2021, in a San Jose court, according to the district attorney’s office. They could face jail time if convicted.
Apple had yet to put out an official statement and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
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