After numerous requests from media such as the Los Angeles Times, a judge has unsealed the search warrant in the Gizmodo lost 4G iPhone case. According to California law, papers must be made public within 10 days of a search being completed, unless there are extenuating circumstances in the case.

The prosecutors were arguing that the identities of the Apple employee who originally lost the iPhone, as well as the person who found it and sold it to Gizmod, could be revealed. But that information had already reached the Web — Gizmodo identified the Apple employee as an iPhone engineer, and Wired identified the phone seller, so San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Clifford V. Cretan decided that since the information was already out there, there was no point in keeping the papers sealed any longer.

Judge Cretan made note of the irony that the papers were originally sealed to hide “possible intrusion into media sources,” and now it was media institutions asking to have the papers opened up.

Wired has the papers now – they say that the iPhone seller’s roommate led police to Brian Hogan (who found the phone), but there’s also news that Hogan had allegedly spread evidence around Redwood City. The papers also confirm that Gizmodo paid $5000 for the iPhone, but there was also a bonus promised to Hogan when Apple officially announced the phone, and an additional $3500 payment from “another source.” Interesting. Maybe there is more to this case than we had originally heard. Keep in mind that this is only the initial investigation — no charges have yet been filed.

Popularity: 1%

No related posts.