What you need to know
- Apple's head of security has had charges of bribery against him dismissed in court.
- Thomas Moyer was accused of exchanging a gift of iPads for concealed weapons permits.
- A California judge has ruled that a jury could not have reasonably concluded Moyer had corrupt intent or that he acted to wrongfully gain an advantage.
Apple's head of security is expected to return to his role at the company after a California judge dismissed charges of bribery filed against him.
From The Washington Post:
Bribery charges against Thomas Moyer, Apple's global head of security, were dismissed Tuesday by the judge in the case, who cited a lack of evidence.Moyer had been accused in November of offering the Santa Clara County sheriff's office a donation of iPads in exchange for concealed-weapons permits.
Moyer was charged in November over claims that he had offered a gift of iPads to the Santa Clara County sheriff's office, and that in return Apple had been granted concealed weapons permits for four Apple executive protection agents. Attorney's for Moyer filed to have the charges dismissed back in March. 200 iPads valued at $70,000 were apparently on the table but never made it to the other side after search warrants were issued against two employees at the Sheriff's office. They were indicted alongside Moyer as part of a larger investigation into the office which claimed it had received other goods including sports tickets in exchange for weapons permits.
The report notes that a decision to dismiss the case was "very rare", and that the judge's 17-page analysis was even more extraordinary. In his opinion judge Geffon wrote "There is simply no evidence that suddenly, on February 8, 2019, Moyer was told or believed that the [concealed-weapons] permits would not be issued or released to the executive protection team unless the Sheriff's Office received something in exchange (such as a donation of iPads).
As noted, Moyer is expected to return to work at Apple, having taken a leave of absence. In a statement to Reuters he said "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."
