03 Feb US – CRIME: 9 MONTHS FOR HACKER WHO STOLE JENNIFER LAWRENCE NUDE PHOTOS

A hacker who stole nude photographs of 30 celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence has been jailed for 9 months. Edward Majerczyk of Chicago pleaded guilty to charges of computer hacking in a Los Angeles federal court last year. His plea agreement included provision for the case to be transferred to Chicago, and both sides agreed on a 9 month sentence.

His lawyer said that Majerczyk was suffering from depression and had expressed remorse. In addition to the prison sentence, Majerczyk was ordered to pay $5,700 towards counselling services for one unnamed celebrity victim whose photos were disseminated online.

Majerczyk was accused of operating a phishing scheme, sending emails to individuals that appeared to come from internet service providers, which asked for their usernames and passwords. He could then access the accounts of those who responded. He admitted accessing the iCloud and Gmail accounts of over 300 people. However, both his lawyer and the US Justice Department have said that there is no evidence linking Majerczyk to the online leaks of the material.