Apple’s top cop steps down

Apple’s vice president of global security, former FBI agent John Theriault, has reportedly retired from the company.

According to Reuters, Theriault retired from Apple for an unspecified reason, but speculation is strong that it may be related to the company’s conduct in tracking down a missing iPhone prototype – a project that Theriault would have headed.

The prototype, thought to have been an early build of the iPhone 4S, was lost in July apparently in a San Francisco bar named Cava22. A team of investigators seemingly tracked the device to the home of San Francisco resident Sergio Calderón, who said he was visited by six people (whom he presumed were law enforcement officers, based on identification shown) who entered his home and, after fruitlessly searching for the device, offered money for its return.

Initially the San Francisco police denied they had taken part in any such action, before changing their story and deciding that yes, two plainclothes detectives did interview Calderón, but that Apple investigators did not enter the man’s home. Police have initiated an investigation into the incident and have not yet reported its findings.

Theriault spent decades at the FBI before leaving and moving into the private sector. He joined Apple in 2007 and led a team that successfully tracked down on fake Apple products being imported from China. He has also worked for Pfizer as chief of security.

An attorney for Calderón, David Monroe, told Reuters that his client is in settlement negotiations with Apple and declined to comment further. ®