Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Hacker who stole nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities jailed for nine months

Investigation began after Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst and Kate Upton complained in interviews about having private photos leaked

Timothy McLaughlin

Wednesday 25 January 2017 03:16 EST

Jennifer Lawrence was one of the first actresses to be targeted by hackers leaking naked pictures of celebrity women

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

An Illinois man was sentenced to nine months in federal prison on Tuesday for breaking into the email and online storage of celebrities to obtain their private photos and videos, according to the US Attorney's office.

Edward Majerczyk, 29, who pleaded guilty to felony computer hacking charges last year, will begin serving his sentence on 27 February, said Joseph Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Zach Fardon, US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Majerczyk's attorney, Thomas Needham, could not immediately be reached for comment.

While no victims were named in court documents, the investigation began after Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities, including actresses Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union and model Kate Upton, complained in interviews about having their private photos end up publicly disseminated online.

"At the time of the offense, Mr Majerczyk was suffering from depression and looked to pornography websites and Internet chat rooms in an attempt to fill some of the voids and disappointment he was feeling in his life," Mr Needham wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed on 19 January.

Mr Needham added that Majerczyk had "consistently expressed remorse," for the hacking.

Majerczyk pleaded guilty in September to federal computer hacking charges but, the Justice Department and Mr Needham said investigators had not uncovered any evidence linking Majerczyk to the actual leaks.

The hacked material was for Majerczyk's personal use and his viewing, Mr Needham said in the memorandum.

Reddit attempts to ban The Fappening

According to a plea agreement signed by Majerczyk, he illegally accessed accounts on Apple Inc's iCloud and Alphabet Inc's Google Gmail accounts belonging to more than 300 people, using an email "phishing" ploy to obtain their user names and passwords.

Through this scheme, Majerczyk was able to access full iCloud backups belonging to numerous victims, including at least 30 celebrities, many of whom reside in the Los Angeles area, the plea agreement stated.

Majerczyk, who resides in Chicago and Orland Park, Illinois, was originally charged in Los Angeles, but his case was transferred to Illinois as part of his plea agreement.

Reuters