Former Santa Clara County Undersheriff Rick Sung pleaded guilty to two felony bribery charges on Monday, Sept. 21, ending a corruption case that stretched back eight years.

Sung, 54, will not serve any jail time. Under the plea deal, he must permanently surrender his California peace officer certification, complete 400 hours of community service and serve six months of probation, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. Once he finishes probation and community service, the court will set aside the guilty plea and dismiss both cases.

The charges stem from 2017 to 2019, when the sheriff's office pressured Apple's security team to promise 200 iPads worth almost $70,000 in exchange for concealed-carry weapon (CCW) permits, according to the initial indictments as reported by Palo Alto Online. A second count involved insurance broker Harpreet Chadha offering $6,000 in luxury box seat tickets to a San Jose Sharks game for then-Sheriff Laurie Smith and her guests.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted this case, has jurisdiction over criminal cases countywide, including in Palo Alto. CCW permits for Palo Alto residents, however, are issued by the Palo Alto Police Department, not the county sheriff.

The plea came as Sung faced a second trial. His first trial in 2025 ended in a hung jury, San José Spotlight reported. Defense attorney Tamara Crepet said prosecutors offered the deal before the retrial. A spokesperson for District Attorney Jeff Rosen declined to confirm the deal originated from the DA's office.

"Prosecutors tried this case once and did not win a conviction … With an offer like that, Mr. Sung chose to put his family first," Crepet told San José Spotlight.

In a joint statement on Sept. 21, as reported by Palo Alto Online, Sung's attorneys Naomi Chung and Crepet called the prosecution "politically motivated and unfair" and argued that under California law, only the sheriff has the authority to issue concealed-carry permits.

Community advocate Margaret Petros criticized the outcome. Speaking on her own behalf, Petros accused Rosen of abusing his powers, as first reported by San José Spotlight.

The DA's office framed the plea as the conclusion of an investigation that produced six convictions, including former Sheriff's Captain James Jensen, the only person in the scandal to serve jail time. Jensen received a 10-month sentence in 2024.

Smith, who promoted Sung to undersheriff in July 2018, resigned in October 2022 after 24 years on the job. She left three days before a civil grand jury found her guilty on six charges of corruption and willful misconduct. Because it was not a criminal trial, Smith faced no prison time.

At the same Sept. 21 hearing, the bribery charge against Chadha was dismissed. Chadha and Apple Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer had both been acquitted in 2025.

The DA's investigation began in late 2018 after a tip about an unusually large campaign contribution to a committee that supported Smith's reelection. According to a July 10 court filing by the DA, Sung was "essentially her campaign manager" that year.

The Sheriff's Office, now led by Sheriff Robert Jonsen and Undersheriff Michael Doty, said in a statement, according to San José Spotlight, that it remains committed to strengthening public trust.

Sung is scheduled to appear in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Monday, Oct. 19, for sentencing.