'Most Hated Man on the Internet' to Be Sentenced for Nude Photo Hacking

The owner of a now-defunct website that trafficked in stolen nude photos of women, sometimes submitted by jilted ex-boyfriends, faces a mandatory prison term of at least two years when he is sentenced today by a federal judge in Los Angeles.

Hunter Moore, 29, pleaded guilty in February to one count each of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, and aggravated identity theft.

Moore paid co-defendant Charlie “Gary Jones” Evens upwards of $200 a week to break into women’s email accounts and steal nude photos of them, which were posted on the now-inoperative IsAnyoneUp.com website.

Evens, 26, of Studio City, was sentenced Nov. 16 by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee to two years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Moore posted nude or sexually explicit photos of women that were submitted without the victims’ permission for “revenge” purposes, prosecutors said. The women’s names, professions, social-media profiles and cities of residence were often included, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Moore, who lives near Sacramento, paid Evens to hack into victims’ email accounts to obtain additional photos for the site, which operated for about two years before shutting down in April 2012.

The website drew media attention and Moore was profiled in Rolling Stone -- which dubbed him “the most hated man on the Internet” -- and he appeared on TV talk shows hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Drew Pinsky of “Loveline” fame.

Brandi Passante, who appears on the A&E reality show “Storage Wars,” sued Moore for $2.5 million in Santa Ana federal court in 2012, alleging that he posted a fake porn video of her, but was awarded only about $31,000, largely for her attorneys’ fees, after Moore ignored the suit and lost by default.

A Los Angeles woman whose pictures were stolen by Evens and posted by Moore is expected to give a victim impact statement at today’s hearing. She spoke at Evens’ sentencing hearing two weeks ago, telling the judge of the personal chaos the hacking caused.

The 28-year-old victim said Evens, who she did not previously know, hacked into her Google account, stealing several partially unclothed “selfies” that were meant for her eyes only.

“These photos had never been seen nor sent to anyone,” the woman said in her statement. “I emailed them to myself to eventually save on my computer. They were in a private folder called ‘my pics’ along with a plethora of other photos of my dogs, little brothers and such.”

She said she found out that her photos had been posted online while at her job as a waitress when a friend called and urgently told her to meet her outside.

“She proceeded to tell me that I had a topless photo on the Internet along with my full name, Twitter account link and current city,” the woman told the judge. “A total shock was taking over me ... I felt exposed, ashamed and broke into tears. I didn’t know what else to do other than call my mom. I made her promise not to tell anyone, including my father and stepfather.

“I was hoping no one would see it, but within a day, a mass text with my photo had been sent to everyone at my restaurant,” the woman said. “The assistant manager said she could get me fired over it, and I lost a role in a film, not to mention the tens of thousands of strangers who saw, commented on or even possibly saved the photo.”

When she got home that night, “a bunch of random guys” had added her on Facebook and were “following me on social media,” she told the court.

“I received vile, sexual messages and rude comments,” the woman said. “One guy even told me he saved the photo, which mortified me. The porn star Ron Jeremy even contacted me to ‘talk business.’ This disgusted me immensely.”

Eventually, all of her friends and family found out, she said.

“I felt hurt that someone would go to such an extent to expose someone in such a nasty way,” she said. “I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. During most of the time period when my photo was on the website, I was in bed curled into a ball feeling unable to act or move. ... At home, I was scared for my life. There was even a stalker parked in front of our house on two evenings.”

She said that away from her home, “I had people who I didn’t even know mention that they knew about the photo. It’s embarrassing and heartbreaking that this is something I’ve been subjected to in my life. I will have to keep a Google alert on my name for the rest of my life in order to make sure that the photo does not reappear.”

City News Service; Photo: Youtube.com