Man admits hacking celebrity accounts
A man has pleaded guilty to hacking into the iCloud accounts of Hollywood stars and others so he could steal personal information, including private photographs and videos.
George Garofano, 26, of North Branford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to a protected computer to obtain information, federal prosecutors said.
The charge stemmed from the investigation into the 2014 scandal in which the private photos of Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Upton and others were made public.
Prosecutors said Garofano sent emails that appeared to be from Apple encouraging victims to disclose usernames and passwords.
He then used the information to illegally access nearly 250 iCloud accounts.
Garofano, who remains free on $50,000 bail, faces up to five years in prison at sentencing at a date to be determined.
