After a years-long legal battle, the man responsible for hacking the personal accounts of more than 30 celebrities is being punished by the law. Edward Majerczyk organized the phishing scheme that mined nude photos and videos of dozens of famous people, the most high profile of which was Jennifer Lawrence, whose private images were leaked online in 2014. Today he’s been sentenced to nine months in jail and ordered to pay $5,700 in restitution fees, the latter of which will recuperate therapy expenses incurred by one of his undisclosed victims. According to the plea deal, Majerczyk gained access to the accounts by e-mailing victims and asking them for username and password information, as though he was an agent of an internet service provider. As a rationale for his behavior, Majerczyk’s attorney said he was, “suffering from depression and looked to pornography websites and internet chat rooms in an attempt to fill some of the voids and disappointment he was feeling in his life.” The Guardian also reports that Majerczyk’s attorney described his client as “deeply affected” by the fallout from the scandal, experiencing both panic attacks and anxiety, which is probably something his victims can “deeply” relate to.
