IPhone 4 theft suspects plead no contest, get wrists slapped
The two men accused of taking a prototype iPhone 4 from a bar and shopping it around to various tech blogs instead of doing the decent thing and returning the phone to its owner -- which is theft no matter how you try to spin it -- have essentially received a slap on the wrist. CNET reports both suspects have received one year of probation, 40 hours of community service, and a US$250 fine -- a drop in the bucket compared to the amount they received in compensation from Gizmodo.
The judge in the case noted that neither suspect had prior convictions, which led him to decline the district attorney's request that they serve jail time. So let this be a lesson to the rest of you: if you steal a prototype device from the world's most valuable company and sell it at a profit of several thousand dollars, you can expect some pretty hardcore consequences. Probation, 40 hours of picking up highway trash, and 250 bucks... harsh sentencing, man. Just brutal. I'm sure no one will risk that kind of punishment if Apple ever loses another prototype.
