> I wonder if the payout is at the time of the report, or at the time of a conviction or even indictment?

The article suggests the technician was paid even though the charges were dropped.

>It was previously reported that the technician had been paid $500 (£360) by the FBI.

> The charges were dropped in November 2017 when a federal judge ruled that the image flagged by the Geek Squad technician was not sufficient evidence for the FBI to request a search warrant. The judge also ruled that the photograph did not qualify as child abuse imagery.