Apple’s Former General Counsel Settles SEC Charges

August 13th, 2008 at 3:00 PM - News by John Martellaro

Appleis former General Counsel, Nancy Heinen, has settled the case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission against her for fraudulently backdating Apple stock. She agreed to pay the SEC US$2.2M in restitution and penalties.

Ms. Heinen, without admitting guilt, also agreed to not serve as the officer or director of a public company for five years.

The charges stemmed from large option grants to senior executives of Apple, including Steve Jobs, in December of 2001. The SEC said the Ms. Heinen had altered documents to conceal the backdating and that Apple underreported its expenses by almost US$40M as a result.

"I cherish the great people I worked with at Apple, and I am proud of my contributions to its historic turnaround and current success," Ms. Heinen said in a statement. "With this lawsuit behind me, I look forward to addressing the greater challenges of social justice and economic disparity."