Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis Nude Pictures Hacker Faces Possible 60 Year Prison Sentence After Pleading Guilty In ‘Operation Hackerazzi’ Case
A Florida native accused of stealing nude pics of Scarlet Johansson, Mila Kunis, and Christina Aguilera has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in the 'Operation Hackerazzi' case.
Christopher Chaney, 35, hacked into the email accounts of Johansson, Kunis, Aguilera and other entertainment bigwigs to access nude pictures and private data, which he later complied into one massive document.
Chaney agreed to plead guilty to federal charges on 9 criminal counts, including unauthorized access to a computer and wiretapping, reported Reuters.
Between November 2010 and October 2011 Chaney hacked into accounts of some 50 people in the entertainment industry, stealing photos, contracts, and scripts that he later sent to another hacker and gossip sites.
He could serve 60 years in prison for his cyber related crimes, though federal sentencing guidelines call for less time, according to Reuters.
Chaney said he originally did not want to release the nude pictures or blackmail members of the entertainment industry.
I don't know how my e-mail got a hold of, someone contacted me wanting the pictures, he said. I don't even know who it was. No, I didn't give that person any pictures. I never wanted to sell or release any images.
Chaney was arrested in October after a yearlong police investigation codenamed Operation Hackerazzi by the FBI.
Nude pictures of Johansson showing her posing provocatively for the camera leaked online. The actress told Vanity Fair she took nude pics for then husband Ryan Reynolds.
A picture of Kunis, posed in a bathtub covered in bubbles also surfaced. Pictures of Aguilera circulated online as well.
Chaney apologized for his actions in a TV interview. I know what I did was probably the worst invasion of privacy someone could experience, he said. I'm not trying to escape what I did. It was wrong. And I have to just face that and go forward.
I was almost relieved months ago when they (the FBI) came and took my computer ... because I didn't know how to stop, Chaney said the day after he was arrested. He admitted he got addicted to hacking into celebrity accounts.
There is no evidence that Chaney profited from the hacking which could work in his favor during sentencing.
To date, Chris has been very cooperative with prosecutors. He's remorseful for any of the harm caused to the stars and just looks to a resolution of the case, said Defense Attorney Christopher Chestnut to the Associated Press.
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