Burglar of Jobs Family's Home Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Burglar of Jobs Family's Home Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

IDG News Service reports that Kariem McFarlin, the burglar who stole $60,000 worth of Apple products and other items from the home of Steve Jobs' family last July, has been sentenced to seven years in prison. McFarlin entered the home while it was undergoing renovation and stole two iMacs, three iPads, three iPods, an Apple TV, jewelry, and other items.

REACT officers found McFarlin with help from Apple security, which tracked where the stolen devices were being used by matching their serial numbers with connections to Apple iTunes servers. The IP address in use matched a line in McFarlin's apartment in nearby Alameda that was also being used by an Apple device registered to a member of his family, according to a police report. [...]

McFarlin admitted to the burglary under questioning by Palo Alto police and said he had stolen from other homes in the San Francisco Bay Area, including two homes in Marin County, four homes in San Francisco County and one home in Alameda County.

jobs home renovation
Renovation work on the Jobs family home in July 2012 (Source: Forbes)

Immediately following the burglary, officials indicated that it appeared to be a random crime of opportunity due to the renovation going on at the house, with McFarlin having been unaware that he was targeting the home of Steve Jobs' family. At the time of his arrest, McFarlin still had a number of the stolen items in his possession, while others had been distributed to friends, including an iPad that made its way into the hands of a local clown.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
iOS 27 All the New App Features

iOS 27: All the Rumored App Features

Wednesday June 3, 2026 3:48 pm PDT by
Siri is getting a major overhaul in iOS 27, but Apple also has some big updates planned for apps like Camera, Photos, and Wallet. There are multiple new AI features in the works, plus some non-AI upgrades. Camera Apple is moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the Camera app in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg. There will be a Siri mode that will be available alongside...

Top Rated Comments

175 months ago
wow, 7 years jail for that ? You'd have to murder someone in Belgium to get that much.
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phillipduran Avatar
175 months ago
Seems like a long time.

Multiple burglaries. Multiple home invasions. He plea bargained for the 7 years. Could have been like 17 years max penalty.

That is a long time for stealing stuff. I wouldn't want to see that much time for a first offender, but since this guy has been doing this over and over at multiple homes, I think it is reasonable.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
175 months ago
That is more than any Wall Street Bad Bank Executive got.
God bless America.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Squilly Avatar
175 months ago
That's not even cool.... seven years is a lot of time for burglary.... but at least he was caught.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
175 months ago
Well Think of the positive. When he comes out, he'll have access to iPhone 8S, iPad 11, Ultra-slim-ultra-retina-display MBP, and 90 inch Apple TV. Then he can do it all over again.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kjs862 Avatar
175 months ago
Seems like a long time.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)