Apple Security Head Indicted in Santa Clara County CCW Case

A grand jury has issued a pair of indictments accusing Apple’s head of global security, two high-ranking officials from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and a local business owner with conspiring to exchange bribes for concealed gun permits.

At a press conference today, District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced the charges against Apple’s Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer, insurance broker Harpreet Chadha, Undersheriff Rick Sung and Capt. James Jensen.

Sung—second in rank only to Sheriff Laurie Smith—is accused of deliberately holding back four concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits for Apple’s security team until the Cupertino-based corporation agreed to donate 200 iPads worth about $75,000 to the Sheriff’s Office. Sung and Jensen allegedly worked together to solicit the exchange of CCW permits for the tech donation from Apple.

“The donation was pulled back at the 11th hour when our search warrants into this probe began” in August 2019, Rosen said Monday.

In another incident, prosecutors say Sung “extracted” a promise from Chadha for $6,000 worth of luxury box suites at a San Jose Sharks game on Valentine’s Day, 2019, before issuing Chadha a hidden gun permit.

“Sheriff Laurie Smith’s family members and some of her biggest supporters held a celebration of her reelection as sheriff in Chadha’s suite,” Rosen said.

In a written statement, Rosen said Sung and Jensen “treated CCW licenses as commodities and found willing buyers.”

“Bribe seekers should be reported to the District Attorney’s Office, not rewarded with compliance,” the DA admonished.

Moyer, Chadha and other defendants should not have accepted the offered bribes, but should have reported Sung and Jensen to the DA’s office, Rosen added.

Attorneys for Sung, Moyer and Chadha maintain their clients’ innocence, saying they were collateral damage in an ongoing political rivalry between Rosen and Sheriff Smith.

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

Guyton Jinkerson, who represents Chadha, echoed the sentiment. “Based on what I know of the relevant facts,” he said, “as well as the voluminous exculpatory documents that I furnished to the prosecutor, to be made available to the grand jury, this indictment of Harpreet Chadha appears to be a grave miscarriage of justice.”

In a statement posted to Twitter shortly after the press conference, the Sheriff’s Office said: “This is a difficult time for our organization, however, our goal remains to provide the highest level of public safety to the residents of Santa Clara County. The hundreds of men and women who represent the Sheriff’s Office will continue to serve our community with compassion, honesty and integrity.”

Smith has not been charged with a crime in the DA’s investigation, which began about two years ago. In response to questions at Monday’s press conference, Rosen said the investigation is ongoing and his office or another grand jury may issue more indictments.

Sung, Jensen, Moyer and Chadha will be arraigned Jan. 11 at the San Jose Hall of Justice. If convicted, they could face prison time.

The DA’s continued announcements about the CCW investigation in recent months have suggested that corruption and bribery in the issuing of weapons permits was entrenched in the sheriff’s office’s highest ranks as Smith was seeking re-election in 2018.

“Call this quid pro quo, call it pay to play, call it give to get—it is illegal,” Rosen told reporters from behind his West Wing office. “It is illegal and it deeply erodes public confidence in the criminal justice system. When high-ranking members of a law enforcement agency are at the heart of a bribery scheme, it tarnishes the badge, the honor, the reputations, and, tragically, the effectiveness of all law enforcement agencies.”

The investigation has already led Rosen to Facebook’s security team.

Earlier this year, officials associated with AS Solution—a company that contract with Facebook to provide executive protection—have pleaded guilty in connection to the case. Namely, ex-AS Solution CEO Christian West and two of his former managers, Martin Nielsen and Jack Stromgren.

With Moyer, the DA has drawn a line to yet another Silicon Valley giant.

According tho his bio on the UC Hastings Law School’s Center for Business Law website, Moyer is the chief compliance and security officer at Apple Inc.

“He has overall responsibility for Apple’s ethics and compliance program including Apple’s Business Conduct Policy, governing the ethical and legal obligations of Apple’s Board, executives and over 130,000 employees around the world,” it reads. “Tom is also responsible for Apple’s global security program including crisis management, physical security, loss prevention, technology, security related investigations and the secrecy of new products and prototypes.”

Prior to Apple, Moyer worked as an associate at the Fenwick & West law firm and as an intelligence specialist with the U.S. Navy.

Other defendants in the case include attorneys Christopher Schumb and Harpaul Nahal and The Gun Co. owner Michael Nichols. Schumb’s lawyer has asked an appeals court to take Rosen off the case, citing conflicts of interest.

Jennifer Wadsworth also contributed to this report. 

5 Comments

  1. Sheriff Laurie Smith must resign with so much corruption on her watch whether she knew of it or not. She is an incompetent leader who can no longer be trusted.

  2. Corruption at the highest levels of law enforcement.

    But, then SJI has been endorsing benevolent Sheriff Smith for how long? Do you still feel all warm and fuzzy to endorse her in her next election?

    The sad thing is that Smith will never face any consequence for her criminality.

    Little people will go to jail, but not the biggest turd in the punchbowl.

  3. So, the right to bear arms is a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT!

    How do politicians get away with restricting this right so bureaucrats can collect bribes for issuing a permit?

    A CCW permit should cost five bucks just to pay for the paperwork.

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