A Virginia woman, 45, allegedly used Cook’s last name and claimed that she was the Apple CEO’s wife and that he was father of her children, according to a report.
Apple has been granted a temporary restraining order against a Virginia woman that has been allegedly stalking Apple CEO Tim Cook for more than a year, according to court filings obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
According to the request for the restraining order, the 45-year-old woman, who was identified as Julia Lee Choi, claims that Cook is the father of her children, and is accused of emailing Cook photos of a loaded pistol and trespassing at his home in Palo Alto, CBS News reported.
On Thursday, Apple made the request for a court order. It was granted by a judge on Friday and made public on Monday by Santa Clara County Superior Court, according to the application.
In its application, Apple said it believes the woman "may be armed" and "intends to return to [Cook’s] residence or locate him otherwise in the near future,” CBS reported.
The court order prevents the suspected harasser from approaching Cook or any Apple employees in person, entering any Apple property or going to Cook’s Palo Alto residence. It also restricts her from possessing any firearms, the application read.
Cook allegedly first became aware of the woman in Oct. 2020, when she reportedly tagged him on Twitter, because Cook receives alerts when he’s tagged on the social media platform, according to the court documents, The Mercury News reported.
The woman allegedly used Cook’s last name and claimed that she was the Apple CEO’s wife and that he was father to her twins, the news outlet reported.
Between late October to mid-November 2020, the woman allegedly emailed Cook approximately 200 times, showing “a significant escalation in tone, becoming threatening and highly disturbing,” according to the court records, The Mercury News reported.
A series of emails she sent to Cook contained photos of a revolver and cartridges, and in an email expressing a desire for a sexual relationship with Cook, she said her patience was “almost done,” court documents revealed, the news outlet reported.
According to the court documents, the woman brazenly showed up at Cook’s home in Oct. 2021 and demanded to speak to Cook, before she was turned away by security. She complied, but returned to the property minutes later.
Palo Alto police responded to the alleged trespassing, and the woman was stopped “after attempting to flee,” according to the application. She allegedly told police she was staying in Palo Alto and said it “could get violent,” court documents revealed.
The woman is believed to have driven from Virginia to Palo Alto, The Mercury News reported.
During a search of her vehicle, no weapons were found; however, police towed her vehicle after they discovered she had been driving with an expired driver’s license, according to the news outlet.
Palo Alto Police Lt. Con Maloney told the San Mercury News that “there is no active police investigation.”
The Palo Alto Police Department did not respond to Inside Edition Digital’s request for comment.
After the run-in with the police, the alleged stalker continued sending the Apple executive emails. In mid-December she demanded payment, CBS reported. According to court documents, she wrote in an email on Dec. 18, "we do not have to meet. give me 500 millions cash. then I will forget and forgive all better list to me,” CBS reported.
On New Year’s Day, the woman allegedly posted on Twitter that “Tim Cook will be suicided in his condo.” She allegedly followed up with an email to Cook stating, “you must empty the condo,” she wrote, “I will move in next weekend 2nd warning,” according to court documents, CBS reported.
Over the past year, the alleged harasser was reportedly registering fake corporations with "highly offensive" names in California, New York and Virginia throughout 2021, according to court documents. Apple said the woman used Cook's name, personal address, and Apple's corporate addresses while trying to register "dozens" of fraudulent companies, The Mercury News reported.
Apple did not respond to Inside Edition Digital’s request for comment.
When Inside Edition Digital reached out to Todd Boyer, the attorney representing Apple, he was unavailable.
The temporary restraining order expires at the end of the hearing scheduled for March 29 at 9 a.m., according to the application.
