Current:Home > ScamsFormer Timberwolves employee arrested, accused of stealing hard drive with critical info-InfoLens
Former Timberwolves employee arrested, accused of stealing hard drive with critical info
View Date:2024-12-23 21:30:46
Former Minnesota Timberwolves coaching analyst Somak Sarkar was released from jail Thursday after being accused of stealing a hard drive from the office of a Timberwolves basketball executive in February.
According to Minnesota district court records obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Sarkar on Feb. 3 entered the office of “S.G.” – believed to be Timberwolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta – and took the hard drive containing “both personal and professional information. The personal information included his Social Security number, tax information for himself and his family and bank account information. The business information, which belongs to the Minnesota Timberwolves, included employment and player contracts, as well as strategic NBA information," the criminal complaint reads.
Sarkar allegedly was observed on video surveillance entering the office of the executive vice president.
Sarkar was fired in February and arrested on March 18, charged with a third-degree burglary of entering without consent with intent to steal/commit felony or gross misdemeanor.
How was the alleged theft discovered?
According to the criminal complaint, S.G. left the hard drive connected to his laptop in his office on Feb. 2. When S.G. returned to his office on Feb. 5, the hard drive was missing.
“Security reviewed surveillance and discovered that Somak Sarkar, defendant herein, had entered S.G.’s office on Saturday February 3, 2024. … Badge information showed that the defendant entered the Timberwolves offices on Saturday and that no other employees were there. Video surveillance showed that at 5:44 p.m., he went to S.G.’s closed office, which is around the corner and down hallway from the common area of offices. Defendant entered the office twice after looking to see if anyone could see him. He then left,” according to court records.
The Timberwolves’ forensic analysis of Sarkar’s laptop “determined that Defendant’s work laptop was used to open some of the files on the hard drive. They also found that over 5,000 files had been accessed and downloaded onto another device,” according to the complaint.
Sarkar told authorities that “as a member of the coaching staff, he had the hard drive to ‘put some stuff on it’ and forgot to return it,” according to the records.
Who is Somak Sarkar?
Sarkar had worked for the Timberwolves from August 2021 until his dismissal in February, according to his LinkedIn page, which says he also worked for the New York Knicks as a coordinator of coaching analytics for seven months and as the manager of basketball analytics for the New Orleans Pelicans from 2013-2020.
He went to Rice University and received a degree in mathematical economic analysis, financial computation and modeling, according to his LinkedIn bio.
Sarkar worked for S.G. until August 2023 but was moved to the coaching staff due to job performance, according to court documents.
Who is Sachin Gupta?
Gupta is in his fifth season with the Timberwolves and is known inside basketball circles as the person who created ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine when he worked there nearly two decades ago. He joined Daryl Morey’s staff with the Houston Rockets in 2006 and also spent time working for the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers.
According to his bio in the Timberwolves’ media guide, Gupta, while in Houston, “would build the foundation for the team’s extensive analytics department which the Rockets would later become renowned for.”
He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, according to his bio.
What is next in the Timberwolves-Somak Sarkar case?
The next hearing is May 16.
veryGood! (92876)
Related
- Get Your Home Holiday-Ready & Decluttered With These Storage Solutions Starting at $14
- 'Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story' shows how the famous filmmaker overcame abuse, industry pushback
- Maui County police find additional remains, raising Lahaina wildfire death toll to 99
- Jaguars vs. Saints Thursday Night Football highlights: Jacksonville hangs on at Superdome
- Solawave Black Friday Sale: Don't Miss Buy 1, Get 1 Free on Age-Defying Red Light Devices
- Trucks mass at Gaza border as they wait to bring aid to desperate Palestinians
- Florida man convicted of stealing sports camp tuition funds from hundreds of families
- Britney Spears Sets the Record Straight on Wild Outings With Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan
- Asian sesame salad sold in Wegmans supermarkets recalled over egg allergy warning
- Israeli writer Etgar Keret has only drafted short notes since the war. Here's one
Ranking
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- Florida man found guilty of killing wife over her refusal to go on home renovation show
- Man gets 13-year sentence for stabbings on Rail Runner train in Albuquerque
- Emily Blunt “Appalled” Over Her Past Fat-Shaming Comment
- How Ben Affleck Really Feels About His and Jennifer Lopez’s Movie Gigli Today
- Major water main break that affected thousands in northern New York repaired
- Why Joran van der Sloot Won't Be Charged for Murdering Natalee Holloway
- A Palestinian engineer who returned to Gaza City after fleeing south is killed in an airstrike
Recommendation
-
Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
-
The Republicans who opposed Jim Jordan on the third ballot — including 3 new votes against him
-
Maren Morris Shares Message on Facing What's Necessary Amid Ryan Hurd Divorce
-
No criminal charges in Tacoma, Washington, crash that killed 6 Arizonans
-
Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in wheelchair after banging head on court
-
Maluma Reveals He’s Expecting His First Baby With Girlfriend Susana Gomez in New Music Video
-
Israel pounds Gaza, evacuates town near Lebanon ahead of expected ground offensive against Hamas
-
Misinformation & uninformed comments are clogging war coverage; plus, Tupac's legacy