Man charged in ‘Operation Hackerazzi’

POLICE have arrested a Florida man and charged him with 26 counts of cyber-related crimes against Hollywood celebrities following an 11-month federal probe dubbed ‘Operation Hackerazzi.’

Victims include actresses Scarlett Johansson, Black Swan star Mila Kunis and pop singer Christina Aguilera, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department officials said.

Christopher Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Florida, was arrested by FBI agents and accused of hacking celebrities’ personal email accounts and then later distributing some of the illegally obtained files, including nude photos that were ultimately posted online.

“Cybercrime not only affects the rich and famous but everyone,” said US Attorney Andre Birotte Jnr, in announcing the arrest, but noted the fame of this case’s victims brought the issue home to many.

He also commended Johansson, Kunis and Aguilera for releasing their names. “We had a positive working relationship ...They agreed to have their names released, to have a deterrent impact. It sends out a message,” he said.

Other victims were identified by initials only, including BP, JA, LB and LS.

In September, Iron Man 2 star Johansson joined a list of Hollywood celebrities including film star Jessica Alba, who have had private photos leaked online at the hands of hackers.

In the Johansson photos, the 26 year-old actress was shown in a towel with an exposed backside, while another showed her topless. The pictures were posted on several celebrity gossip websites before eventually being taken down.

Also in September, leaked photos of Kunis, star of the film Friends with Benefits, were said to contain a photo of the actress in a tub filled with bubbles showing only her face.

“Celebrity information is highly marketable and we know (there are those who are) willing to purchase,” said Steven Martinez, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

But officials said they have no information regarding whether or not Chaney profited from hacking.

Chaney, who was arraigned in Florida, faces as many as 121 years in jail if convicted on all counts. Officials said the investigation remains open and others could be implicated.

Birotte said Chaney used unauthorised access to e-mail accounts of the stars to intercept messages that in some cases included information about “movie scripts” and “nude photos.”

Officials said Chaney “mined” publicly available data and used that data to figure out passwords of his victims.

E-mail services provided by Apple, Google, and Yahoo were affected.

The FBI said their investigation identified more than 50 victims, but the indictment against Chaney listed incidents of hacking into the email accounts of only 11.

The arrest followed a scandal involving media giant News Corp after revelations earlier this year that employees of The News of the World had hacked into the mobile phones of celebrities and members of the public.

Officials said that there was no link between Chaney’s arrest and the News Corp scandal.