Apple CEO Tim Cook (Photo courtesy Apple)
Apple CEO Tim Cook allegedly has a stalker.
On Thursday, NBC reported Feb. 20 that a California court has issued a restraining order against a man Apple claims has been “aggressively” stalking the tech executive.
The temporary order was imposed last week against Rakesh “Rocky” Sharma, who allegedly left flowers and champagne at Cook’s Silicon Valley property and tried to share “sexualized and inappropriate” photos with the Apple chief on Twitter, according to court documents.
In a court statement posted on Twitter, an Apple security specialist testified that Sharma has been harassing the company as far back as last fall, when he allegedly left “disturbing” voicemails for an unidentified company executive. The testimony, which was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, goes on to relate that Sharma subsequently trespassed on Cook’s Palo Alto property twice within two months.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has a stalker who has gotten onto his property TWICE and won’t stop contacting him/ other Apple employees, per court filings and a testimony pic.twitter.com/PaQulBpMhu
— Dave Gershgorn (@davegershgorn) February 20, 2020
Sharma allegedly came to Cook’s property on the night of Dec. 4, dropping off the flowers and champagne, and then again on Jan. 15, when he snuck in through a gate and rang the doorbell. Sharma also repeatedly tagged Cook on his Twitter account, including making direct reference to the Apple exec in posts containing the racy pictures.
In a call to Apple’s technical support line, Sharma also allegedly claimed he knew the locations of Apple executives’ homes lived, and said, “I don’t use ammunition but I know people who do.”
In the restraining order, which was filed on Feb. 13, Sharma is directed to stay away from Cook and his property, as well Apple’s Cupertino, California headquarters and the company’s executive team. It expires on March 3, the same day as a scheduled hearing in the case.
