An Apple manager has been arrested and accused of accepting a whopping $1 million in kickbacks from at least six Asian suppliers.
According to the San Joe Mercury News, Apple global supply manager Paul Shin Devine and Andrew Ang of Singapore were named in a 23-count federal grand jury indictment for wire fraud, money laundering and kickbacks.
“Apple is committed to the highest ethical standards in the way we do business,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said in an official statement.
”We have zero tolerance for dishonest behavior inside or outside the company.”
The alleged scheme reportedly exploited a number of US and foreign bank accounts, as well as a front company.
Indeed, Devine apparently used his position at Apple to obtain confidential information which he then passed on to various suppliers for cash.
The top-secret data allowed suppliers – including Ang – to negotiate more favorable contracts with Apple.
It should be noted that Apple is also suing Devine in a separate civil suit for allegedly accepting more than $1 million in “payments, kickbacks and bribes” over a period of several years.
Devine is scheduled to appear Monday at 1:30 PM in US Northern District Court in San Jose, California.
