Man jailed for hacking into Jennifer Lawrence's online account

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Jennifer LawrenceImage source, Getty Images

A man's been jailed for nine months for hacking into the online accounts of celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence.

Edward Majerczyk, 29, stole private information, including nude videos and photos.

He was accused of organising a phishing scheme that tricked victims into giving him usernames and passwords.

Majerczyk, from Chicago, was ordered to pay one unnamed celebrity £4,900 after their photos were later shared online.

He wasn't charged or accused of selling or posting the material online.

He pleaded guilty last year to one count of unauthorised access to a protected computer to obtain information.

No victims' names were mentioned in the court documents.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Mary Elizabeth Winstead was also among the victims of the celebrity hack

In 2014, private pictures of celebrities including Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst and model Kate Upton were posted online and shared on various websites.

The case became known as "celebgate", with Jennifer Lawrence telling Vanity Fair magazine that the hacking was a "sex crime".

In a sentencing memo, Majerczyk's lawyer Thomas Needham said, at the time of the offence, his client was "suffering from depression".

It read: "He 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."

He added that Majerczyk had "consistently expressed remorse" for the hacking and that the material was for his "personal use".

In October 2016, in a separate case, 36-year-old Ryan Collins was sentenced to 18 months in jail for a similar hack.

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