Fired Timberwolves staffer is put on probation for stealing hard drive of team’s head of analytics
A former Minnesota Timberwolves staff member has been placed on probation for stealing a computer hard drive from the office of a team executive at the Target Center.
Somak Sarkar, 33, was sentenced to two years’ probation in Hennepin County District Court after pleading guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of unauthorized computer access related to the February 3 theft. A felony burglary charge was dismissed.
The stolen hard drive belonged to Sachin Gupta, head of the NBA team’s analytics department, and contained approximately 5,700 files, including employment details, player contracts, strategic information, Gupta’s tax returns, financial data, and login credentials from a password management app.
Ex-Timberwolves staffer accused of stealing executive’s hard drive containing ‘strategic’ NBA info
Defense attorney Ryan Pacyga stated that the theft caused no harm to the team or Gupta. “Law enforcement collected all of [Sarkar’s] electronic devices,” Pacyga said. “There has been no indication that the hard drive was shared with other devices. The Timberwolves’ and the executive’s property are secure.”
Pacyga further explained that Sarkar was unaware the hard drive contained Gupta’s personal information. “Mr. Sarkar meant no harm to the Timberwolves organization,” he added.
Gupta, who handles sensitive proprietary data for the team, reported the hard drive missing on February 5. Sarkar, who had been reassigned within the organization after conflicts with a superior, was seen on security video entering Gupta’s office on February 3. He was fired on February 9.
A police search of Sarkar’s Minneapolis apartment near the Target Center uncovered several hard drives, a computer, three tablets, and multiple USB drives, one of which contained all the data from Gupta’s hard drive.
Court documents revealed that Sarkar had been reassigned last summer after clashing with his immediate superior.