Celebrity hacker gets 10 years in jail

Christopher Chaney was arrested just one month after it was discovered he was responsible for a scandal involving nude photos of actress Scarlett Johansson appearing on the internet. Upon hearing evidence that he invaded the privacy of dozens of celebrities, not just Johansson, through hacking and wiretapping, U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero sentenced Chaney to ten years in prison and ordered him to pay $66,179 in restitution. “It’s hard to fathom the mindset of a person who would accomplish all of this,” Otero said. “These types of crimes are as pernicious and serious as physical stalking.”

“Just because you’re an actor or make films or whatever doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to your own personal privacy,” said Johansson. “If that is sieged in some way, it feels unjust. It feels wrong.

Chaney had pled guilty to hacking into the email accounts of 50 people in the entertainment industry, including Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Jessica Alba, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. He also targeted two women he knew personally, sending nude pictures of one of them to her father.