The Man Who Hacked and Stole Nude Pictures of Jennifer Lawrence is Going to Jail

published 25 January 2017

More than two years after hacking into the personal accounts of over 30 celebrities in order to steal private nude photos and videos, Edward Majerczyk has been sentenced to jail for nine months and ordered to pay $5,700 in restitution fees to an undisclosed victim who sought counseling services after her photos were distributed online.

According to The Guardian, Majerczyk's plea deal reveals that he sent emails to over 300 victims in 2014, posing as an internet service provider asking celebrities for their usernames and passwords. He then used this information to illegally access the celebrities' accounts, the most notable of whom was Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence—who, at the time, called the disgusting phishing scheme a "sex crime" and "sexual violation" in an interview with Vanity Fair.

Majerczyk pled guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information last year, and will be held at a jail in his home city of Chicago. He was not accused, nor was he charged, with selling or releasing the photos and videos online.

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Gina Mei is a writer and editor based out of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing, reading, and lost in an Internet vortex, she can usually be found petting the nearest dog.