Take a Look at the Gizmodo Warrant

The ten page search-warrant affidavit used to raid the home of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen has been unsealed.

Wired has posted the entire document here for your convenience.

Some interesting points:
- Apple received a telephone call from a female who identified herself as Katherine Martinson. Martinson reported that her roommate, Brian Hogan, was previously in possession of the lost/stolen prototype iPhone and that Hogan sold the iPhone to Gizmodo. She contacted Apple because Hogan had connected the phone to her computer and she thought that could be traced and wanted to absolve herself of criminal responsibility.
- It was Apple that initiated the investigation.
- Steve Jobs personally contacted Brian Lam, editor of Gizmodo, to get the phone back. Lam requested a letter confirming the phone was indeed Apple's. In his reply email (which is in the document) Lam notes that Gizmodo has nothing to lose. Apparently Apple PR has been cold to the site lately even affecting their ability cover the iPad launch.
- Apple claims the phone was damaged by Gizmodo. They found a broken ribbon cable, a incorrectly inserted screw which caused an electrical short, broken back plate snaps, and stripped screws.
- Hogan got $8500 in total from sale of the iPhone with a cash bonus promised in July if Apple makes an official product announcement regarding the new iPhone.
- Hogan and Thomas Warner, another roommate removed evidence from the location in an effort to conceal it; however, ended up surrendering it to the police.


Read More