Vietnamese student jailed in Singapore for stealing from Apple

A man using a MacBook Air M2. Illustration photo by Tuan Hung

The Straits Times reported that the 22-year-old Hoang, who served as an assistant researcher intern at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) in Singapore, appeared in court on Thursday. He admitted to stealing laptops and iPads from both AStar and Apple offices earlier in the year, resulting in two charges of theft and two charges of housebreaking.

Hoang committed these thefts between June and July, after beginning his internship at A*Star on May 25, as detailed by the South China Morning Post. He would wait until the office was empty to take electronic devices from the institution.

In court, the prosecutor disclosed that Hoang had learned lock-picking to access more securely stored items. He managed to steal equipment valued at approximately SG$29,500 from A*Star throughout this period.

Additionally, Hoang broke into an Apple office in the same building as his workplace, targeting higher-value items.

Upon learning of a scheduled power shutdown in the building, which would disable CCTV cameras, Hoang timed his theft to coincide with this, ultimately stealing over SG$12,000 worth of items from Apple.

The court heard that Hoang's intention was to sell the stolen items to cover his daily expenses and send money back to his family in Vietnam.

Feeling guilty as his internship approached its conclusion, Hoang tried to return four iPads and several charging cables to the Apple office. However, his attempt triggered a security alarm, which led to his capture by the police, who found him hiding under a table.

Most items, except those already sold, were recovered. Hoang fully compensated A*Star for the sold items as well.

The prosecutor emphasized Hoang’s betrayal of trust and the detailed planning behind his thefts, recommending a one-year jail sentence for him.

Under Singapore law, theft can result in up to seven years in jail and a fine, and housebreaking up to ten years and a fine, making Hoang's final conviction less severe than possible.