Robert McIntosh has been given 18 months probation and must repay Research In Motion for the smartphones he stole from the Blackberry-maker.
At the sentencing in Kitchener on Monday morning the 48-year-old was handed a conditional discharge.
In his decision Judge Gary Hearn said "sometimes good people do bad things."
Two years ago McIntosh took 32 smartphones that were supposed to be recycled and sold them to a hairdresser, who then sold them again using classified ads.
McIntosh reportedly got about $2,000 for the phones.
Hearn accepted McIntosh's explanation that he used the money to buy cancer drugs for his dying mother.
In addition to the probation and repaying RIM $8,900, McIntosh must perform 75 hours of community service and take any counselling recommended by a probation officer.
Hearn noted that McIntosh is remorseful for his actions, was humiliated and embarrassed by the charges and lost his job at RIM.
McIntosh pleaded guilty to the charges, which the judge said also saved the courts considerable time.
He said McIntosh has no record and is an excellent candidate for rehabilitation.
With no criminal record McIntosh will also be able to keep his current job with another tech company.
