Bribery Charges Against Apple Security Chief Dismissed

Judge in courtroom

A judge has dismissed the charges against Thomas Moyer, Apple’s head of global security, saying that the main part of the case was “pure speculation” and wasn’t supported by evidence (via Reuters).

Bribery Charges

In November 2020, Thomas Moyer, along with three other people, were indicted in a concealed weapons permit bribery case. Rick Sung, Santa Clara County Undersheriff and his Captain James Jensen were accused of requesting bribes for concealed firearms (CCW) licenses. Insurance broker Harpreet Chadha and Thomas Moyer were accused of offering bribes for these licenses.

The bribes in question were a donation of 200 iPads, worth an estimated US$70,000, to the Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Moyer had allegedly wanted CCW licenses for Apple’s executive protection squad. As Reuters notes:

It is illegal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit in California, and county sheriffs have wide discretion over whether to grant them.

Judge Eric S. Geffron of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County found that Mr. Moyer did indeed have talks with the Sheriff’s Office about these permits. But Judge Geffron said that the accusation that Mr. Moyer’s intent to offer the iPads was speculation. Mr. Moyer wanted to donate iPads to the entire office, instead of a specific officer, while following Apple’s rules about donations, and this showed a lack of corrupt intent.

Mr. Moyer said in a statement: “I thank the Court for giving this case such careful consideration, and for allowing me to move forward with my life. I also want to thank Apple, my friends and family for their unwavering support.”

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