Apple Chief Security Officer Charged in Alleged Bribery Scheme

A California district attorney accused Apple chief security officer Thomas Moyer of offering a bribe to state officials, according to indictments issued on Monday.

A new report from Palo Alto Online, Thomas Moyer, Apple’s head of global security, has been indicted as part of a concealed weapons permit scandal. The executive is being accused of bribery for providing $70,000 USD worth of iPads in exchange for concealed firearms licenses.

According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Santa Clara County undersheriff Rick Sung and sheriff’s Captain James Jensen withheld gun permits for Apple employees until Moyer agreed to donate 200 iPads, but the scheme was terminated at the last minute when the attorney’s office executed a search warrant of the sheriff’s office.

“Undersheriff Sung and Captain Jensen treated CCW licenses as commodities and found willing buyers,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Bribe seekers should be reported to the District Attorney’s Office, not rewarded with compliance.”

Moyer’s attorney, Ed Swanson, says his client is innocent, calling his charge “collateral damage” in a rivalry between the district attorney and Smith, the sheriff. He added that Apple regularly donates devices, and the iPads offered in this instance were not related to the licenses Moyer was seeking on behalf of other Apple workers.

“Tom Moyer is innocent of the charges filed against him,” Swanson said in an emailed statement. “He did nothing wrong and has acted with the highest integrity throughout his career. We have no doubt he will be acquitted at trial.”

Moyer has been at Apple for about 15 years, and he has been the head of global security at the company since November 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile.

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