BRIDGEPORT — A North Branford man has pleaded guilty to hacking into the iCloud accounts of Hollywood stars and others so he could steal personal information including private photographs and videos.
Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old George Garofano, of North Branford, pleaded guilty Wednesday to unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information.
The charge stemmed from the investigation into the 2014 scandal in which the private photos of Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Upton and others were made public.
Prosecutors say Garofano sent emails that appeared to be from Apple encouraging victims to disclose usernames and passwords.
He then used the information to illegally access nearly 250 iCloud accounts.
Garofano, who remains free on $50,000 bond, faces up to five years in prison at sentencing at a date to be determined.