The man who was accused of breaking into the late Steve Jobs’s house and stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise could receive a sentence of up to seven years and eight months behind bars. The crime he allegedly committed carries a maximum penalty of 16 years and four months, but the judge in the case capped it at the lower amount because the perpetrator has decided to plead “no contest.”
The man, Kariem McFarlin, broke into the house in Palo Alto, California in August. He claimed, and police appear to believe, that he did not realize it used to be Steve Jobs‘s primary residence. He just picked it as a random target, possibly because he realized that nobody seemed to be going in or out of the house.
So he was confident enough in his plan that he spent 15 hours pilfering things like iPhones, iPads, iPods, and expensive champagne, as well as around $60,000 worth of jewelry. At some point, of course, he did realize exactly whose possessions he was stealing.
He found a letter addressed to Steve Jobs, at which point he realized he hit the jackpot. He ended up finding and taking Jobs’s wallet and driver license. In a twist that might have even made Steve Jobs proud, the suspect was caught because of one of his stolen iPads. McFarlin gave one of the iPads to an acquaintance to pay off a debt, and police were able to track down that iPad and link it back to McFarlin.
It turns out he also committed several other burglaries dating back more than a year, making it more plausible that landing upon the Jobs house was just a coincidence.
Because of the no contest plea, there will not be a jury trial. McFarlin will face sentencing on January 17, 2013.
via Washington Post
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