Apple’s head of global security indicted on bribery charges

Thomas Moyer, who has run Apple’s security department since 2013, according to his LinkedIn page, had applied for concealed-weapons permits, according to the release. The sheriff’s office held up the application, the news release alleges, until Moyer agreed to get Apple to donate $70,000 worth of iPads.

Through his attorney, Ed Swanson, Moyer denied the allegations and said there was no quid pro quo. Moyer helped arrange a donation of iPads to a new education center for the sheriff’s office, Swanson said, but that donation was not connected with four concealed-carry permits issued to Apple employees.

“He did nothing wrong and has acted with the highest integrity throughout his career. We have no doubt he will be acquitted at trial,” Swanson said in a statement.

“As law enforcement officers, we are held to the highest moral and ethical standards,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “This is a difficult time for our organization.”

Apple’s sprawling headquarters in Cupertino falls within Santa Clara County and is staffed with security. Concealed-weapons permits, however, are rarely granted in the county.

Santa Clara Undersheriff Rick Sung and Capt. James Jensen, who allegedly requested the bribes, were also indicted.

Jeff Rosen, the Santa Clara district attorney, said Sung and Jensen treated concealed-carry permits “like commodities,” but he also faulted those who paid the bribes. “Bribe seekers should be reported to the District Attorney’s Office, not rewarded with compliance,” he said in a statement.

“We expect all of our employees to conduct themselves with integrity. After learning of the allegations, we conducted a thorough internal investigation and found no wrongdoing,“ said Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock.

In recent years, as technology companies have drawn more interest and scrutiny from the public, some have dealt with physical security threats. In 2018, a woman shot three people at YouTube’s headquarters in nearby San Bruno before shooting herself.

Security at Apple goes beyond just physical threats. The company must protect its trade secrets and its supply chain from competitors and other outsiders who try to uncover company secrets. Moyer’s role at the company also included helping employees through natural disasters, Swanson said.

Swanson said part of his client’s role was looking for opportunities to help the law enforcement community, including donations of equipment such as iPads. The “wrongheaded prosecution,” he said, was a result of “collateral damage” in a battle between the district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office, which led to the charges, he said.

Moyer served as Apple’s chief compliance officer from 2009 to 2013, according to his LinkedIn page. One responsibility of a compliance officer is to ensure that companies follow anti-bribery laws.

The indictment comes roughly a year after an Apple attorney in charge of enforcing the company’s insider-trading policies was indicted on insider-trading charges.