August 18, 2010 by Jenny Sanderson
Paul Shin Devine, a global supply manager from Apple in California, has been charged with receiving kickbacks for giving Asian companies confidential company information relating to Apple. He liaised with organisations in Asia which dealt in the supply of iPhone accessories and iPods. Court documents have described how Devine worked with six Asian firms to deliver classified Apple information.
Having worked at Apple since 2005, Devine was in a prime position to hand over information to six companies in Asia, thought to be based in China, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. The companies were not specifically named in the court proceedings. Devine, aged 37, is also looking at undergoing a civil suit which has been filed against him by Cupertino, accusing him of gaining over one million dollars in illicit payments and bribes for information which he accrued over several years.
Appearing in court last Friday, the ex-Apple employee was not set bail, and was scheduled to return to court this week to finalise proceedings. He was charged with over twenty counts of money laundering, wire fraud, accepting kick backs and conspiracy. He is alleged to have abused his position in order to share confidential information with suppliers of Apple products, in order to enable them to negotiate favourable terms with Apple. He partnered with Andrew Ang, who is based in Singapore, to achieve the conspiracy. Ang has been charged with wire fraud.
The FBI undertook investigations in to the matter and were supported by the Internal Revenue Service.
Steve Dowling, a spokesperson for Apple, commented: “Apple is committed to the highest ethical standards in the way we do business. We have zero tolerance for dishonest behavior inside or outside the company.”
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