Apple’s head of global security has been charged with bribery for attempting to obtain firearm licenses from Santa Clara County officials by giving them free iPads.
A grand jury last week indicted Thomas Moyer, Apple’s chief security officer, Undersheriff Rick Sung, Capt. James Jensen of the sheriff’s department and insurance broker Harpreet Chadha.
The indictments were the latest developments in the Santa Clara County district attorney’s two-year investigation into an alleged scheme by sheriff‘s officials to extort bribes for the licenses.
Undersheriff Rick Sung and Captain James Jensen withheld concealed carry permits from people seeking to acquire them through a traditional application process.
Instead, the cops allegedly ran an ongoing operation to pressure applicants into offering goods in exchange for the permits.
Moyer was indicted for allegedly bribing an executive officer and authorities said that he promised “200 iPads worth close to $US70,000 ($96,152)” in exchange for the approval of four concealed-carry licenses.
A local insurance broker was also named in the indictment.
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“In the case of four CCW licenses withheld from Apple employees, Undersheriff Sung and Cpt. Jensen managed to extract from Thomas Moyer a promise that Apple would donate iPads to the Sheriff’s Office,” attorney general Jeff Rosen wrote in the release.
Rosen’s office says the iPads were never delivered because Moyer and Sung learned in August 2019 that the DA was executing a search warrant to seize all CCW license records.
In a statement sent to The Verge, Moyer’s attorney claimed that his client was innocent. He further maintained that Moyer was “collateral damage” in a quarrel between the sheriff’s and DA’s office.