Oh, the iPhone 4 fiasco. Who could forget when gadget blog Gizmodo managed to get their hands on Apple’s iPhone 4 prototype when an unsuspecting engineer lost it at a German beer garden?
The two men, Brian Hogan and Sage Wallower, pleaded no contest to “theft of lost property” after shopping the phone around to media outlets. As a result, the men were each given one year of probation, 40 hours of public service and had to pay $250 in restitution back to Apple.
(MORE: Taiwan Animates iPhone 4 Antennagate; Jobs Force Chokes Gizmodo’s Jason Chen)
Hogan allegedly found the phone at the bar, while Wallower helped Hogan shop the device around to gadget bloggers and journalists. Gizmodo ended up paying about $5,000 for the exclusive device. Apple threatened to charge the blog with criminal counts, but eventually decided not to file.
The two men, who did not have any previous criminal records, faced possible jail time according to the local district attorney, who said, “The judge considered that Wallower had served in the armed forces and Hogan was enrolled in San Jose State… and decided that jail time wasn’t required… This is a fairly routine theft case. This was a couple of youthful people who should have known better.”
(MORE: Gizmodo Editor’s House Raided By Police Over iPhone 4 Fiasco)
Previous Apple CEO Steve Jobs contacted Gizmodo’s previous editorial director Brian Lam to ask for the phone back, which Lam refused. Local police later then obtained a warrant to search Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s house, where they seized his equipment. (Chen often worked from home.)
With the verdict in, it appears this saga has finally come to an end.
[via CNET]
Read more about the life and legacy of Steve Jobs in the tribute book from TIME—Steve Jobs: The Genius Who Changed Our World
Erica Ho is a reporter at TIME and was previously an employee at Gizmodo. Find her on Twitter at @ericamho and Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.