Connecticut

North Branford Man Pleads Guilty to Involvement in ‘Celebgate' Hacking

A North, Branford Connecticut 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

Federal prosecutors said 26-year-old George Garofano pleaded guilty Wednesday to unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information. 

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 bond, faces up to five years in prison at sentencing at a date to be determined.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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