A former Taiwanese Foxconn manager is facing 10 years in jail for stealing thousands of iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s units worth £1.18 million from Apple’s manufacturing facility in the southern mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen between 2013 and 2014.
The Taiwanese manager, identified by his family name Tsai, worked in the testing department and instructed eight employees at Foxconn’s factory in the southern mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen to smuggle out about thousands of iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s units, prosecutors said.
The devices which apparently were never meant for consumer use were test units produced by Foxconn, with the intention of scrapping the handsets once tests were complete.
The theft was discovered during an internal audit, when the company reported it to the police. – If found guilty, Tsai will face 10 years in jail, with the former manager charged with breach of trust.