Ex-Deloitte IT manager remanded for stealing 423 laptops to fund stock trading

In Hong Kong, a former Deloitte IT manager named Ho Man-kit has been taken into custody and awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of stealing 423 laptops over a period of 17 months. These stolen laptops were worth HK$1.2 million (US$153,000) and were sold to an electronics recycler between September 2021 and February 2023 to fund Ho's addiction to stock trading.

Ho admitted to his theft during a court appearance and confessed to losing all the stolen money through unsuccessful stock trading, leaving him in debt. The theft was discovered when an IT engineer noticed a significant shortage of laptops at Deloitte's office in Cityplaza, Quarry Bay, on February 13, 2023. Following this discovery, Ho had an opportunity to sell a box of 15 laptops to a recycler, but the sale was promptly halted by the IT engineer and an administrative officer.

Two days later, Ho voluntarily surrendered himself to the police and confessed to his wrongdoing. The recycler's owner confirmed that Ho had sold 24 additional laptops under the guise of them being outdated or mistakenly purchased by Deloitte. Bank records revealed that Ho had received over HK$458,000 from these illicit sales. Ho's defense team argued that he felt deeply ashamed of his actions and had even attempted suicide the day before turning himself in.

The court also heard that Ho was experiencing considerable stress due to family matters, including his wife's postnatal depression and his ailing father's surgery for lung cancer. Ho faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison for theft, although the maximum sentence is seven years when heard at the District Court.