IT wiz stole $600k of Amazon devices: cops

A Sydney IT wiz has been bailed after allegedly dismantling and selling more than half a million dollars worth of high-tech hard drives.

Networking expert Christopher W Hawker ordered 31 Snowball storage devices from Amazon, court documents seen by AAP show.

Snowballs are designed to physically ship large amounts of data across the world between clients who order them and Amazon, bypassing the internet, the US-based web company's website says.

But Hawker ended up on the FBI radar after failing to return the $600,000 worth of storage devices to Amazon to have data uploaded, NSW Police said on Thursday.

A joint FBI and NSW Police cybercrime unit investigation led them to Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs.

Hawker, 26, was arrested on a street in Waverley before 8am on Wednesday and charged with larceny.

A raid on his Bronte home found 30 of the devices with components stripped, police said.

Investigators believe he was selling the components once they were removed from the Snowballs but investigations into their sale are continuing.

Hawker describes himself as an "IT guy" with a "passion for computers" on Facebook.

He also appears to be an avid pub poker player and holds an ABN for a computer networking business.

Police say there was no chance important data was breached during the thefts.

Hawker appeared before Waverley Local Court and was granted bail on Thursday.

As part of his bail conditions, he must report to Waverley Police Station on weekdays and can't access the internet except for work.

He did not enter a plea and is expected before the same court again on August 8.

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