Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Thursday, April 25, 2024 81° Today's Paper


Top News

Hacker of celebrity photos gets 8 months in prison

1/1
Swipe or click to see more

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in March. A Connecticut man who hacked into more than 200 iCloud accounts of Hollywood stars and other people has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. >> A Connecticut man who hacked into more than 200 iCloud accounts of Hollywood stars and other people has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

George Garofano was sentenced today in federal court in Bridgeport. After prison, he must serve three years of supervised release and perform 60 hours of community service.

The North Branford man was one of four men arrested in the 2014 hacking scandal that led to private photos of Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Upton and others being made public.

Authorities say the hackers used a phishing scheme that sent emails appearing to be from Apple security accounts that asked for usernames and passwords.

Garofano pleaded guilty in April and asked for leniency, saying he faces a lifetime loss of rights because of the felony conviction.

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines. Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.