Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Cybercrime

Prosecutors Seek 3-Year Sentence in ‘Celebgate’ Hacking Case

Federal prosecutors have recommended a sentence of nearly three years in prison for a former Virginia high school teacher convicted of hacking into private digital accounts of celebrities and others.

Federal prosecutors have recommended a sentence of nearly three years in prison for a former Virginia high school teacher convicted of hacking into private digital accounts of celebrities and others.

Christopher Brannan pleaded guilty in October to aggravated identity theft and unauthorized access to a protected computer. He was the fifth person charged in the 2014 “celebgate” scandal in which hackers obtained nude photographs and other private information from more than 200 people.

Actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are among the celebrities who said they were victims.

Brannon is a former teacher at Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsville.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that prosecutors have asked the judge to sentence Brannan to 34 months in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 1 in U.S. District Court in Richmond.

Related: Celebrity Email Hacker Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison

Related: Dutch Police Shut Notorious ‘Revenge Porn’ Site, Three Arrested

Related: U.S. Man Charged in ‘Celebgate’ Nude Photo Hack

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Related: “Celebgate” Hacker Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison

Written By

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join this event as we dive into threat hunting tools and frameworks, and explore value of threat intelligence data in the defender’s security stack.

Register

Learn how integrating BAS and Automated Penetration Testing empowers security teams to quickly identify and validate threats, enabling prompt response and remediation.

Register

People on the Move

Kevin Paige has been appointed Field CISO at identity governance company ConductorOne.

SplxAI, a startup focused on securing AI agents, has announced new CISO Sandy Dunn.

Phillip Miller is joining tax preparation giant H&R Block as VP and CISO.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.