charged
$ 10 million loot: Ex-employee filled his pockets with scam at Apple
The former Apple defendant worked in purchasing for the iPhone group for ten years (symbolic image)
© Budrul Chukrut/ / Picture Alliance
Apple is considered one of the best organized corporations in the world. An employee was apparently still able to fill his pockets for ten years – at the expense of his employer.
Apple is the most valuable company in the world and is considered an attractive employer. However, a former employee saw his salary as too small a part of the cake. Together with two accomplices, he is said to have cheated Apple extensively throughout his career there. Now he faces imprisonment.
This is according to the indictment filed on Friday. According to San Jose prosecutors, Dhirendra P. started working at Apple in 2008, shortly after the introduction of the iPhone. For ten years he was employed by the group in purchasing, ordering components and services for the group and negotiating contracts with suppliers. He apparently used this position extensively to his advantage.
Creative scammers
According to the indictment, the 52-year-old is said to have shown considerable creativity. He didn’t rely on a single scam, but kept coming up with new ways to make a profit at Apple’s expense. According to the indictment, he is said to have brokered lucrative orders to two accomplices and received commissions for them. With fake repair cases, he is said to have stolen components and resold them himself. In addition, the prosecutor accuses him of successfully billing Apple for services and goods that the company never received.
The illegal business seems to have paid off very well. According to the investigators, P. is said to have earned more than ten million dollars (about 9 million euros). He tried to launder profits by buying five lots in the nearby Central Valley, using a college fund, and a pension plan. Assets worth five million dollars have already been confiscated.
High prison sentence threatened
Defending against the allegations will be difficult. Two of his accomplices, both owners of companies with which Apple worked, have already admitted the bribery and charged P. in separate proceedings. The two have also confessed to the accusation of joint money laundering. As part of the current indictment, the public prosecutor’s office requested that the three cases be combined into one.
The former Apple employee could now face a very long prison sentence. P. is accused of several types of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. According to the US television network “NBC”, the three most serious charges alone are punishable by at least five years in prison. According to the broadcaster, the maximum sentence of 20 years is rarely imposed.
Swell: indictment, Ars Technica, NBC, Reuters