Credit: Aly Song/Reuters U.S. federal investigators are “looking closely” at stock-option documents that former Apple Computer officials allegedly falsified to boost their own profits, The Recorder legal newspaper reported late Tuesday in its online edition. Revelations regarding past stock-option practices are expected in Apple’s delayed annual report due out Friday.Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who publicly apologized for his actions in an October statement, has hired outside counsel separate from the company’s, the newspaper also reported. When its three-month-long internal investigation ended in October, Apple said that it “raised serious concerns” about the actions of two former executives related to accounting, recording and reporting stock-option grants. Citing “people with knowledge of Apple’s situation” and “individuals with knowledge of the probe,” The Recorder said the two are Nancy Heinen, former senior vice president and general counsel, and Fred Anderson, former chief financial officer.Anderson resigned in October as the company announced the internal investigation’s end. He said then he believed it was in Apple’s best interest for him to resign. Heinen left the company, quietly and without comment, in May. At the time, a company spokesman confirmed she had left, but couldn’t say why. Tuesday’s news report sent Apple’s (AAPL) share price tumbling Wednesday morning, but as the East Coast midday approached, ground was regained. Even so, the trading price of $78.19 per share remained just over 4 percent below Tuesday’s close.Apple is among almost 200 companies that have disclosed internal investigations as well as federal probes by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or the U.S. Department of Justice, or both, related to stock-option practices, including backdating of options. No one at Apple, in Cupertino, Calif., could be reached to comment Wednesday morning. The Recorder quoted a spokesman declining to comment beyond what Apple says in public filings on the matter. By Nancy Weil, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau) Related content brandpost Sponsored by EXL Unlocking generative AI’s greatest growth opportunities Looking beyond the hysteria— It is imperative for companies integrating AI technologies to embrace the opportunity to strengthen their products, services, and workforce…with fundamental human pragmatism. By Rohit is vice chairman and CEO at EXL, a multinational data analytics and digital operations and solutions company. Dec 07, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence brandpost Sponsored by BMC BMC on BMC: How the company enables IT observability with BMC Helix and AIOps The goals: transform an ocean of data and ultimately provide a stellar user experience and maximum value. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by BMC The data deluge: The need for IT Operations observability and strategies for achieving it BMC Helix brings thousands of data points together to create a holistic view of the health of a service. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business IT Skills Backup and Recovery Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe