'ICloud Ripper' Convicted Of Stealing Nude Photos From 4,700 Women

TAMPA, FL — The man known as "icloudripper4you" has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for stealing photographs of nude women from their Apple iCloud accounts and then posting them online.

Tampa U.S. Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle sentenced Hao Kuo Chi, 41, of La Puente, California to prison for conspiracy and computer fraud Thursday. Chi pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2021.

According to court documents, for years Chi operated the now-defunct website, Anon-IB, that was notorious for posting explicit and intimate images of women to intimidate and embarrass in a scheme commonly known as "revenge porn."

According to the Tampa office of the FBI, Chi hacked into the Apple iCloud accounts of victims across the United States in search of nude photographs and videos of young women, which he referred to as “wins.”

Using the online moniker “icloudripper4you,” he then shared and traded these images with people he met on his website, Anon-IB.

Chi’s email accounts contained the iCloud credentials of about 4,700 victims.

According to the FBI, Chi sent photos and videos stolen from women to conspirators 300 times.

Some of those conspirators subsequently released the images on public online sites as "revenge porn."

Chi not only shared his “wins” with conspirators, but he also kept many of those images for his personal collection. The FBI said Chi maintained approximately 3.5 terabytes of victim data on cloud and physical computer storage, containing content from more than 500 victims.

“Chi victimized hundreds of women across the country, making them fear for their safety and reputations,” said Tampa U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “This sentence reflects the resolve of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold cybercriminals responsible for their crimes.”

“This man led a terror campaign from his computer, causing fear and distress to hundreds of victims," said David Walker, FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge. "The FBI is committed to protecting the American people by exposing these cybercriminals and bringing them to justice,”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted the FBI with the investigation.