Former Minnesota Timberwolves employee gets probation for stealing team executive's hard drive
MINNEAPOLIS — A former Minnesota Timberwolves employee has been sentenced to two years of probation in connection with the theft of a team executive's hard drive, court records show.
Somak Sarkar pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of unauthorized computer access last month. On Wednesday, a judge gave him a one-year jail sentence that was stayed for two years, as well as the probation. Sarkar is eligible for early discharge after a year if he is compliant.
Surveillance footage showed Sarkar on Feb. 3 entering the office of an executive vice president with the Wolves identified as S.G., according to a criminal complaint. Sachin Gupta is the team's EVP of basketball operations.
When the EVP returned to work on Feb. 5, his hard drive was gone. The Wolves fired Sarkar after becoming aware of the footage. He said he took the hard drive "to put some stuff on it" but forgot to return it, according to the complaint.
The hard drive, which another employee retrieved from Sarkar, contained basketball information, the EVP's social security number, tax details and bank account information, investigators said.
