A one-time senior manager at Apple manufacturer Foxconn is facing a possible ten years in jail after allegedly stealing 5,700 iPhones and selling them on for $1.5 million.
The thefts reportedly took place at one of Foxconn’s factories in Shenzhen, China, where the manager — identified only as “Tsai” — used eight employees to help smuggle the handsets out of the building.
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The iPhone in question were iPhone 5 and 5s handsets, produced between 2013 and 2014. Foxconn noticed the missing devices after carrying out an internal audit, leading to Tsai’s arrest earlier this year.
While there’s no word yet on whether or not Tsai is guilty, this wouldn’t be the first time Foxconn employees have been charged over Apple-related crimes. Back in 2011, for instance, three Foxconn employees were arrested for leaking forthcoming iPad designs ahead of their official unveiling.
Later on, in 2014, a Foxconn employee was arrested by Chinese police for steal six iPhone 6 cases from the factory where he worked in northern Shanxi province and then selling them on the black market.
Still, managing to steal 5,700 iPhones before anyone noticed is pretty daringly audacious…
Source: Business Insider
