Apple employees fired over charity donation matching fraud

Apple has reportedly fired around 50 employees for misusing a charitable grants program, taking the funds for themselves as extra pay.

Apple, like other major employers, offer various grants and programs to help employees and charities. After an investigation, it appears that some employees have decided to misappropriate grant funds to line their pockiets.

Around 50 employees were fired from Apple's Cupertino headquarters, for misusing the Matching Gifts program. A corporate social responsibility initiative, it is intended to match the donations of employees to non-profit organizations.

India Today reports allegations that some employees worked with select non-profit organizations to exploit the program. Donations, including matched portions by Apple, were funneled back to employees.

The firings follow after six former Apple employees were accused in Decemberof stealing $152,000 of funds from the program over a three-year period.

It is unclear how much in total was siphoned from Apple by all of the charged and fired employees. As investigations continue, more ex-employee arrests could be made.

In the case of the six employees accused by Santa Clara County, the donations were made to two non-profits, consisting of the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange and Hop4Kids. One of the six, identified as Siu Kei Kwan, acted as the CEO of Hop4Kids as well as an accountant for ACICE.

As well as handing donated funds to employees, Kwan also wrote off the donations on tax returns on behalf of the defendants.

Charges against the six include grand theft, conspiracy to commit felony, perjury, and tax fraud.