A-List Celebrities Accounts Hacked By North Branford Man: Feds

NORTH BRANFORD, CT — A high-profile nude photo hacking case dubbed "Celebgate" involving some of Hollywood's top celebrities now has a prominent Connecticut connection. A Northford man is accused of hacking into the online accounts of numerous A-List Hollywood celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Kirsten Dunst, Kaley Cuoco and U.S. soccer star Hope Solo, NBC News and the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

George Garofano, 26, of Northford, was charged Thursday in federal court with a felony computer hacking offense related to a phishing scheme that gave him illegal access to more than 250 Apple iCloud accounts, many of which belonged to members of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, federal authorities said in a news release. There were also Connecticut victims too, federal authorities said.

Variety reports that among celebrities whose nude photos were posted online are Kate Upton, Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst as part of the "Celebgate" hack back in 2014. Three others have been arrested in the FBI case.

Garofano is accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. In a plea agreement that was also filed Thursday in United States District Court in Los Angeles, Garofano agreed to plead guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, federal authorities said.

While the case was filed by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, the parties have agreed to transfer the case to the District of Connecticut for the entry of Garofano’s guilty plea and sentencing. Once he enters the guilty plea, Garofano will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, from April 2013 through October 2014, Garofano engaged in a phishing scheme to obtain usernames and passwords for iCloud accounts, federal authorities said. Garofano admitted that he sent e-mails to victims that appeared to be from security accounts of Apple and encouraged the victims to send him their usernames and passwords, or to enter them on a third-party website, where he would later retrieve them, federal authorities said.

Garofano used the usernames and passwords to illegally access his victims’ iCloud accounts, which allowed him to steal personal information, including sensitive and private photographs and videos, according to his plea agreement, federal authorities said. In some instances, Garofano traded the usernames and passwords, as well as the materials he stole from the victims, with other individuals, federal authorities said.

The charge against Garofano stems from an investigation into the leaks of photographs of numerous female celebrities in September 2014 known as “Celebgate,” federal authorities said. Although many of Garofano’s victims were members of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, many non-celebrities who live in Connecticut were also victimized, federal authorities said. By illegally accessing the iCloud accounts, Garofano gained access to at least 250 accounts, federal authorities said.

Garofano's attorney, Richard W. Lynch, of New Haven, told the Hartford Courant his client was an "unwitting pawn" of the other hackers involved in the case. Lynch added that his client is a "good person who was taken advantage of..." and apologizes to his victims.

The case against Garofano is the fourth case stemming from the Celebgate investigation. Chicago resident Emilio Herrera has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced next month in United States District Court in Chicago after federal prosecutors in Los Angeles charged Herrera in a phishing scheme that gave him illegal access to more than 550 Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts. Another Illinois man was sentenced last year to federal prison. In the third case, a Pennsylvania man was sentenced in 2016 to 18 months in prison.

The Celebgate investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Lead image via Theo Wargo / Staff / Getty Images Entertainment.