Tim Cook’s accused stalker agrees to stay away from him
Woman who says she ‘could get violent’ asks Apple CEO for sex and shows up outside his home twice in a month
The accused stalker of Apple CEO Tim Cook has agreed that she will stay away from the tech boss for the next three years under a new deal.
The agreement was reached on Tuesday with Julie Lee Choi, 45, who allegedly asked Mr Cook for sex and showed up at his home in Silicon Valley in October in a way that was deemed to be threatening.
In 2014, Mr Cook became the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to publicly come out as gay.
Ms Choi appeared in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Tuesday where she agreed to the deal with Apple. Mr Cook, who has led the company since 2011 following the resignation and death of founder Steve Jobs, wasn’t present at the proceedings in San Jose, California.
Ms Choi refused to speak with reporters outside the courtroom, waving them off as they approached. An attorney for Apple also chose to not speak with the press.
A court order now states that Ms Choi must not be within 200 yards of Mr Cook for the next three years and bans her from trying to communicate with him electronically, including via social media and emails.
If she violates the agreement, she could be criminally charged and possibly go to prison.
Evidence that Apple submitted to get a temporary restraining order against her in January shows that Ms Choi began emailing Mr Cook in late 2020 asking for sex and sending pictures of handguns that she claims he made her purchase.
Ms Choi also set up several fake companies in an effort to get hold of Mr Cook. She sometimes listed an Apple office as the headquarters, according to the documents.
“I can’t live like this anymore,” Ms Choi emailed Mr Cook from an iPhone. “I want sex with you, please, please.”
Acknowledging that Mr Cook is gay, Ms Choi still continued her attempts. “Tim, if we are destined for our lives, any circumstance we can meet each other,” she wrote in an email in December, in which she noted that she was in San Jose at the time.
When Ms Choi told Mr Cook in September that she was going to apply to be his “roommate” at his Palo Alto condo, Apple took legal action.
Apple’s headquarters are located in Cupertino, California, about 15 miles away from Palo Alto.
Ms Choi appeared outside Mr Cook’s home twice in October, warning that she “could get violent,” court documents state.
In another email sent in December, Ms Choi said she would forgive Mr Cook for $500m. Weeks later, Apple requested a temporary restraining order, noting that she “may be armed” and “intends to return to Apple’s CEO residence or locate him otherwise in the near future”.
Ms Choi lived in McLean, Virginia before heading to California to pursue Mr Cook.
Company disclosures to shareholders show that Apple spent more than $630,000 on Mr Cook’s security in 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report