Rick Sung

Introduction

Rick Sung, a 54-year-old former Santa Clara County Undersheriff with nearly 24 years of service, pleaded guilty on September 21, 2026, to two felony bribery counts stemming from a scandal in which the sheriff’s office allegedly traded its rarely issued concealed weapons permits for iPads, luxury hockey suite access, and political donations. As second in command to former Sheriff Laurie Smith, Sung became the highest-ranking sheriff’s office official ever convicted by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office — the final resolution of an eight-year probe that produced six convictions.

Background Information

Sung joined the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in 2002 and rose through its ranks, becoming undersheriff in 2018 — the No. 2 position behind Sheriff Laurie Smith, who had won her sixth term in the 2018 election.

Under Smith, the office’s concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit system drew repeated criticism. For years, it was nearly impossible for ordinary residents to secure a permit, while well-connected business executives and campaign donors reportedly obtained them through backchannel arrangements — a practice prosecutors described as a long-running ploy that largely ignored applications from people in real danger.

The District Attorney’s Office opened its investigation shortly after the 2018 election, based on a tip that an individual had made an unusually large campaign contribution to an independent expenditure committee that supported Smith’s reelection. That probe culminated in 2020 with criminal grand jury indictments naming Sung, former Sheriff’s Captain James Jensen, Apple Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer, and local businessman Harpreet Chadha in connection with bribery over the issuance of CCW permits.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. Rick Sung’s guilty pleas to two felony bribery counts, entered on September 21, 2026, are a matter of court record. His 2025 trial ended in a mistrial after a hung jury, and a connected bribery charge against co-defendant Harpreet Chadha was dismissed at the same plea hearing. Sung’s defense has maintained throughout that the case was “politically motivated” and that, under California law, only the Sheriff — not the undersheriff — had the authority to issue CCW permits.

The charges alleged two distinct schemes in which Sung leveraged the permit system for benefit:

The Apple iPad case. In August 2017, Apple was seeking four CCW permits for its executive security team tasked with protecting then-CEO Tim Cook. Prosecutors said the company made little progress until 2019, when Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer agreed to donate 200 iPads, worth roughly $70,000, to the sheriff’s office. Sung is alleged to have pushed the permits through after the donation was promised; Apple canceled the donation after the DA’s office issued a related search warrant. In a 2025 trial, a jury acquitted Moyer and deadlocked on Sung, producing a mistrial. One of Monday’s guilty pleas admitted Sung’s role in the iPad case.
The luxury suite case. The other count concerned Sung’s alleged role in holding up the renewal of a CCW permit for Harpreet Chadha until Chadha offered the sheriff’s office free access to his San Jose Sharks luxury box at the SAP Center. The box was used in February 2019 to host a celebration of Smith’s reelection to a sixth term. Chadha, who held the license to the luxury suite, maintained his donation of the box was part of a routine practice of making it available for vacant seats and of supporting first responders; his attorney declined to comment on the plea.

The negotiated disposition was reached as Sung’s retrial was approaching. At the hearing, Superior Court Judge Hanley Chew asked Sung whether he understood the pleas he was entering — “I do” — and to confirm them — “Guilty.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement: “My Office enforces the law without fear or favor. Law enforcement in Santa Clara County must be equally determined to be incorruptible as it is determined to protect our community.” The DA’s office described the plea as the end of an eight-year series of corruption cases that led to six convictions and eventually forced Smith out of office.

The wider probe produced a string of consequences beyond Sung:

Former Sheriff’s Captain James Jensen was convicted by a jury of felony bribery and conspiracy in July 2024 in a scheme involving as much as $90,000 from executive protection firm AS Solution, Inc., and was sentenced to 10 months in jail in December 2024.
In the Apple iPad case, Thomas Moyer was acquitted and the jury deadlocked on Sung in 2025.
Sheriff Laurie Smith was never criminally charged, but a civil grand jury pursued a removal action after the 2020 indictments. In a rare civil corruption trial handled by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, Smith was found guilty on six counts of willful or corrupt misconduct in office; she resigned in October 2022, days before her formal removal after 24 years. Sheriff Bob Jonsen has replaced her.

Local outlets framed the plea as the closing chapter of one of Santa Clara County’s most prominent political corruption cases in years.

Current Status

Under the terms of the resolution, Sung must:

Permanently surrender his California peace officer certification
Complete 400 hours of community service
Serve six months of probation

He will not serve time in custody. After completing community service and probation, he will be allowed to petition to reduce the felonies to misdemeanors and then seek expungement, or retroactive dismissal, of the charges. He will not be eligible to work again as a peace officer in California. At the same hearing, a bribery charge against Harpreet Chadha was dismissed in the interest of justice.

His attorneys, Naomi Chung and Tamara Crepet, have long maintained the case was “politically motivated and unfair,” while saying Sung wanted to move forward with his life after contesting the charges for nearly seven years.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Sung’s guilty pleas ended a nearly 24-year law enforcement career, with the permanent surrender of his peace officer certification closing the door on any future police work in California. After contesting the charges for nearly seven years — through an indictment, a hung jury, a mistrial, and the prospect of a retrial — he accepted a disposition with no jail time, but one that leaves a felony conviction on his record unless he completes the post-sentencing petition process. For his family, his lawyers said, the years of legal fees and public scrutiny exacted their own toll, ending with a resolution that let him move forward with his life.

Sources

Santa Clara County District Attorney, “Former Santa Clara County Undersheriff Rick Sung convicted of felony bribery,” September 21, 2026 — source
Robert Salonga, Bay Area News Group via Police1, “Former Calif. undersheriff pleads guilty in gun permit bribery scheme,” September 21, 2026 — source
Braden Cartwright, Palo Alto Daily Post, “Former No. 2 in sheriff’s office takes plea deal in gun permit case,” September 21, 2026 — source
NBC Bay Area, “Former Santa Clara County undersheriff pleads guilty in bribery scheme,” September 21, 2026 — source
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, “Former Santa Clara County undersheriff pleads guilty in gun permit bribery scheme,” September 22, 2026 — source
Michael Moore, Morgan Hill Times, “Former Undersheriff Rick Sung convicted in gun permit bribery scheme,” September 22, 2026 — source