Apple's Global Security Chief Cleared of Bribery Charges Following Accusation of Scheme to Trade iPads for Gun Permits

Apple's global security chief, Thomas Moyer, has been cleared by a California judge of bribery charges following accusations that the security chief participated in a scheme to donate 200 iPads worth $75,000 to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in exchange for concealed gun permits, Reuters reports.

apple park drone june 2018 2
According to the charges brought forward in November, Moyer agreed to donate 200 iPads to the Sheriff's office in exchange for concealed gun permits for Apple's security team at a 2019 meeting. Furthermore, according to prosecutors, Moyer acted upon the request of Santa Clara County Undersheriff Rick Sung, who allegedly threatened to withhold the permits unless the iPads were donated.

Ultimately, a California judge believed that the iPad donations offered by Moyer came as a misunderstanding. According to the judge, by the time Moyer had offered the iPads, he was under the belief that the permits were already issued, rather than the iPads being a requirement for their issuance.

Judge Eric S. Geffon of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County found on Tuesday that Moyer had been in talks with the Sheriff's Office about permits for more than a year by the time of the 2019 meeting. By then, Geffon wrote, the evidence suggests Moyer believed the permits were already approved and would be issued soon.

Judge Eric S. Geffon also further noted that the argument against Moyer is "pure speculation" and "not supported by the evidence presented to the grand jury." Moyer, in a statement, thanked the court for "giving this case such careful consideration, and for allowing me to move forward with my life."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Siri Finder Feature

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Macworld claims to have access to an internal version of iOS 26 that references several upcoming...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

Quu Avatar
59 months ago

Why does Apple want gun permits? Aren’t they anti-2A? Or is that just for us poor peasants? They should be able to have guns in their death star?
It's for their trained security people who they pay to protect their interests and their executives. Tim Cook alone has had people break into the grounds of his home on several occasions and Apple pays millions in security every year.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
59 months ago
Wait, it's the county who "requested" for the iPads, no? Apple shouldn't be guilty if it's already proven that the corrupt county was the one demanding for it. Plus, Moyer went through the proper procedures internally for the donations. People should be looking at the county officers.

https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/santa-clara-co-undersheriff-indicted-in-ccw-case/

People in California should be asking themselves about the corrupt officers, and why they were in their positions.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
59 months ago
Smart move. See, this is how you're supposed to skirt the law.

You send the "gifts" after the application has been approved. The permits need to be renewed every 2 years and can be revoked at any time. It's about trust on both sides.

Apple always donates iPads to Sheriff's Offices around the country, don't they? ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msp3 Avatar
59 months ago

Why does Apple want gun permits? Aren’t they anti-2A? Or is that just for us poor peasants? They should be able to have guns in their death star?
YOU are not allowed to have guns, you are not allowed to have a public police that maintains the rule of law, you are not allowed to have a secure boarder free from invasion. Meanwhile, THEY have private security forces, they live in gated communities with armed guards ready to shoot you dead, and they fly around the world in private jets while making more money than ever before impoverishing the working person. So liberal, loving, and progressive!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lostngone Avatar
59 months ago

Why does Apple want gun permits? Aren’t they anti-2A? Or is that just for us poor peasants? They should be able to have guns in their death star?
I believe it is along the lines of “Guns for me but not for thee”. Guns are only bad when other people have them but Apple needs them.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimthing Avatar
59 months ago

What kinda exchange transaction is that? Why is Apple even getting involve in this?
It wasn't a transaction. That's literally the whole point.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)