Brian Hogan, the man who allegedly found the prototype in a California bar, and Robert Sage Wallower both pleaded not guilty before Superior Court Judge Jonathan Karesh in Redwood City on Thursday, according to CNet. Wallower was also charged with possessing stolen property, to which he also pleaded not guilty.
A pretrial conference for both men has been scheduled for October 11, while a trial date has been set for November 28. Both men were released on their own recognizance without bail.
Police allegedly found the prototype iPhone 4 in Hogan's possession after his roommate called Apple Security out of fear she might be considered an accomplice in the incident. That tip resulted in police preparing a search warrant for Hogan's apartment.
Though Hogan and Wallower will stand trial, the website that ultimately bought the prototype iPhone 4, Gizmodo, does not face charges. The San Mateo County district attorney's office decided last month not to bring charges against any emplyees of the website or its parent company, Gawker Media.
Gawker allegedly paid $5,000 to obtain the device for an exclusive story run by Gizmodo. The website revealed the design of the non-functional hardware, and even disassembled it to confirm the components were Apple's, prior to the official unveiling of the device.
Brian Hogan has been charged with selling a prototype iPhone 4 to Gizmodo in 2010. Photo via Facebook.
A similar incident occurred again this year, when a new iPhone prototype allegedly went missing at the end of July in San Francisco, Calif. Apple apparently tracked the missing prototype to a bar, but have not been able to locate the hardware.
26 Comments
The two suspects charged in the 2010 incident where prototype iPhone 4 was lost in a bar have pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor theft....
No one ever pleads guilty anymore. A sure sign of a broken legal system when there is no advantage in being honest anymore.
No one ever pleads guilty anymore. A sure sign of a broken legal system when there is no advantage in being honest anymore.
Even if proved guilty they will appeal and then plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
No one ever pleads guilty anymore. A sure sign of a broken legal system when there is no advantage in being honest anymore.
You have to plead not guilty or no contest to have a trial. The court doesn't have to offer leeway if you're honest. A crime has the same punishments if you admit to it or if you're found guilty of it. There is nothing broken about this.
Even if proved guilty they will appeal and then plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
A folly deference - please of mental disease or defect rarely succeeds.
"Excuse me your honor, was that iPhone four or five you were asking about?"