A 60-year-old Indian man has pleaded guilty for his role in a complex, transnational conspiracy to smuggle individuals from India to the US for profit, which claimed at least one life and endangered many others, the US Justice Department said. 
&nbsp; 
Yadvinder Singh Bhamba pleaded guilty last month to one count of conspiracy and 15 counts of smuggling aliens to the United States for profit before US Magistrate Judge Sivia Carreno-Coll of the District of Puerto Rico.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April. 
&nbsp; 
According to admissions in Bhamba's plea agreement, since 2013, Bhamba had a leadership role in a human smuggling conspiracy operating out of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, India and elsewhere.&nbsp;

As part of the conspiracy, Bhamba personally assisted around 400 people to unlawfully enter the United States between 2013 and 2015.

He also oversaw and directed co-conspirators operating out of the Caribbean, Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said. 
&nbsp; 
Individuals paid between US$ 30,000 and US$ 85,000 to be smuggled from India to the United States and from at least 2013 to 2016, human smuggling was Bhamba's primary source of income, the Department said.&nbsp;

Bhamba was arrested in the Dominican Republic in August 2017 and later transferred to Puerto Rico.&nbsp;

Bhamba and other members of the conspiracy made flight arrangements for people to travel from India through other countries including Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Iran, Panama, Venezuela, Belize, and Haiti to the Dominican Republic, which was used as a staging area, where aliens were housed before being transported to the United States.&nbsp;

The organisation brought groups of aliens from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico or Florida by boat and from there they were picked up by co-conspirators and taken to stash houses until flights could be arranged to California, New York, or elsewhere in the United States.

&nbsp;Bhamba and others arranged for fraudulent identifications for some aliens to use in the United States.&nbsp;

The Justice Department said that the boat trips organised by Bhamba and his co-conspirators were perilous. Boat captains used old, damaged, cracked, unlicensed, overcrowded, and unsafe boats to make the journey.&nbsp;

In at least one instance, a person died in a boat on his way to the United States.&nbsp;

At times, the smugglers would take passports from the aliens during their journeys, physically assault them, and threaten their families to collect money.&nbsp;

Bhamba used fraudulent Indian, Dominican, and Jamaican identifications for travel and financial transactions related to the conspiracy.&nbsp;

In some instances, he created and provided false employment documents on behalf of the aliens to authorities to obtain foreign visas.

Bhamba also instructed aliens travelling through foreign airports how to find, and in some instances, pay cash to, corrupt immigration officials, passport control officers, or airport employees in order to bypass regular immigration and passport control procedures. 
&nbsp;

A 60-year-old Indian man has pleaded guilty for his role in a complex, transnational conspiracy to smuggle individuals from India to the US for profit, which claimed at least one life and endangered many others, the US Justice Department said.

A 60-year-old Indian man has pleaded guilty for his role in a complex, transnational conspiracy to smuggle individuals from India to the US for profit, which claimed at least one life and endangered many others, the US Justice Department said. Yadvinder Singh Bhamba pleaded guilty last month to one count of conspiracy and 15 counts of smuggling aliens to the United States for profit before US Magistrate Judge Sivia Carreno-Coll of the District of Puerto Rico. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April. According to admissions in Bhamba's plea agreement, since 2013, Bhamba had a leadership role in a human smuggling conspiracy operating out of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, India and elsewhere. As part of the conspiracy, Bhamba personally assisted around 400 people to unlawfully enter the United States between 2013 and 2015. He also oversaw and directed co-conspirators operating out of the Caribbean, Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said. Individuals paid between US$ 30,000 and US$ 85,000 to be smuggled from India to the United States and from at least 2013 to 2016, human smuggling was Bhamba's primary source of income, the Department said. Bhamba was arrested in the Dominican Republic in August 2017 and later transferred to Puerto Rico. Bhamba and other members of the conspiracy made flight arrangements for people to travel from India through other countries including Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Iran, Panama, Venezuela, Belize, and Haiti to the Dominican Republic, which was used as a staging area, where aliens were housed before being transported to the United States. The organisation brought groups of aliens from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico or Florida by boat and from there they were picked up by co-conspirators and taken to stash houses until flights could be arranged to California, New York, or elsewhere in the United States. Bhamba and others arranged for fraudulent identifications for some aliens to use in the United States. The Justice Department said that the boat trips organised by Bhamba and his co-conspirators were perilous. Boat captains used old, damaged, cracked, unlicensed, overcrowded, and unsafe boats to make the journey. In at least one instance, a person died in a boat on his way to the United States. At times, the smugglers would take passports from the aliens during their journeys, physically assault them, and threaten their families to collect money. Bhamba used fraudulent Indian, Dominican, and Jamaican identifications for travel and financial transactions related to the conspiracy. In some instances, he created and provided false employment documents on behalf of the aliens to authorities to obtain foreign visas. Bhamba also instructed aliens travelling through foreign airports how to find, and in some instances, pay cash to, corrupt immigration officials, passport control officers, or airport employees in order to bypass regular immigration and passport control procedures.

Indian national pleads guilty to transnational human smuggling conspiracy in US

Disgraced former British youth coach Barry Bennell was on Thursday found guilty of 43 counts of sexual abuse against 11 boys aged between eight and 15 in a case that has rocked English football.

Bennell, 64, who coached at Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra, was found guilty of indecent assault, buggery and attempted buggery and police said 86 more complainants have come forward since the case started.

&quot;Barry Bennell is a predatory paedophile who groomed and abused young boys who dreamed of a career in professional football,&quot; prosecutor Jackie Lamb said after the trial concluded at Liverpool Crown Court.

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The case has sparked wider allegations of sexual and physical abuse of boys at football clubs in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s, some of whom went on to become heroes of the terraces and international stars.

Nearly 800 victims have come forward against more than 100 coaches, leading to accusations that some of the game&#39;s most famous and loved clubs covered up allegations of abuse of boys in their care.

&quot;My parents thought I was safe,&quot; victim Steven Walters said outside court. &quot;They trusted the club, the staff, the senior management.

&quot;For years, hundreds of us were groomed in plain view. How can it be that no one realised something was wrong?

&quot;We suffered because a culture of complacency and cover-up was allowed to take root.&quot;

&#39;All worthwhile&#39; 
The scandal broke in late 2016 when former Liverpool and Tottenham star Paul Stewart broke his 40-year silence and revealed how he was abused as a teenager, shortly after former Crewe player Andy Woodward went public with allegations against Bennell.

&quot;I can&#39;t put it into words how difficult these last 15 months have been for me and my family,&quot; Woodward said outside court.

&quot;I feel such gratitude and I&#39;m proud of what I&#39;ve achieved, it was all worthwhile,&quot; he added.

The former youth player demanded that authorities and clubs reveal what they knew.

The clubs &quot;could have stopped this,&quot; he said.

&quot;I would personally like... an apology from Crewe Alexandra. The FA has been very quiet. I hope now they will speak out.&quot;

Crewe Alexandra put out a statement expressing its &quot;deepest sympathies&quot; to Bennell&#39;s victims.

The club said it was not aware of any sexual abuse by Bennell and only became aware of any offences committed by him when he was arrested in the United States in 1994.

During the trial, another victim revealed how four players coached by Bennell had gone on to commit suicide, including Newcastle and Wales star Gary Speed, who hanged himself in November 2011, at the age of 42.

England&#39;s Football Association (FA) opened an inquiry into the scandal in 2016, headed by lawyer Clive Sheldon.

He was due to report back in the New Year, but the sheer weight of accusations has put back its publication.

Any new information unearthed is being handed to Operation Hydrant, a wider police investigation into child abuse.

Premier League giants Chelsea were forced to apologise in 2016 after admitting to paying former player Gary Johnson &pound;50,000 ($70,000, 56,000 euros) to keep quiet about the abuse he suffered while in the club&#39;s youth team in the 1970s.

Meanwhile, Premier League leaders Manchester City are conducting their own review into Bennell&#39;s activities while at the club.

The club said it was examining &quot;a number of reports of historic anomalous behaviours.. over a period spanning more than 50 years&quot;.

The abuse of young sportspeople by those supposed to be in charge of their welfare was thrown into focus in the United States with the conviction earlier this year of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who sexually abused girls and young women for decades.

Nassar faces a lifetime behind bars after being accused by some 265 women -- including Olympians and collegiate athletes -- of sexually abusing them over more than two decades.

Bennell will be sentenced at a later date.

Barry Bennell coached at Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra

Disgraced former British youth coach Barry Bennell was on Thursday found guilty of 43 counts of sexual abuse against 11 boys aged between eight and 15 in a case that has rocked English football. Bennell, 64, who coached at Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra, was found guilty of indecent assault, buggery and attempted buggery and police said 86 more complainants have come forward since the case started. "Barry Bennell is a predatory paedophile who groomed and abused young boys who dreamed of a career in professional football," prosecutor Jackie Lamb said after the trial concluded at Liverpool Crown Court. Bennell was found guilty of sexually abusing 11 boys aged between eight and 15. Police said 86 more complainants have come forward since the case started × The case has sparked wider allegations of sexual and physical abuse of boys at football clubs in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s, some of whom went on to become heroes of the terraces and international stars. Nearly 800 victims have come forward against more than 100 coaches, leading to accusations that some of the game's most famous and loved clubs covered up allegations of abuse of boys in their care. "My parents thought I was safe," victim Steven Walters said outside court. "They trusted the club, the staff, the senior management. "For years, hundreds of us were groomed in plain view. How can it be that no one realised something was wrong? "We suffered because a culture of complacency and cover-up was allowed to take root." 'All worthwhile' The scandal broke in late 2016 when former Liverpool and Tottenham star Paul Stewart broke his 40-year silence and revealed how he was abused as a teenager, shortly after former Crewe player Andy Woodward went public with allegations against Bennell. "I can't put it into words how difficult these last 15 months have been for me and my family," Woodward said outside court. "I feel such gratitude and I'm proud of what I've achieved, it was all worthwhile," he added. The former youth player demanded that authorities and clubs reveal what they knew. The clubs "could have stopped this," he said. "I would personally like... an apology from Crewe Alexandra. The FA has been very quiet. I hope now they will speak out." Crewe Alexandra put out a statement expressing its "deepest sympathies" to Bennell's victims. The club said it was not aware of any sexual abuse by Bennell and only became aware of any offences committed by him when he was arrested in the United States in 1994. During the trial, another victim revealed how four players coached by Bennell had gone on to commit suicide, including Newcastle and Wales star Gary Speed, who hanged himself in November 2011, at the age of 42. England's Football Association (FA) opened an inquiry into the scandal in 2016, headed by lawyer Clive Sheldon. He was due to report back in the New Year, but the sheer weight of accusations has put back its publication. Any new information unearthed is being handed to Operation Hydrant, a wider police investigation into child abuse. Premier League giants Chelsea were forced to apologise in 2016 after admitting to paying former player Gary Johnson £50,000 ($70,000, 56,000 euros) to keep quiet about the abuse he suffered while in the club's youth team in the 1970s. Meanwhile, Premier League leaders Manchester City are conducting their own review into Bennell's activities while at the club. The club said it was examining "a number of reports of historic anomalous behaviours.. over a period spanning more than 50 years". The abuse of young sportspeople by those supposed to be in charge of their welfare was thrown into focus in the United States with the conviction earlier this year of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who sexually abused girls and young women for decades. Nassar faces a lifetime behind bars after being accused by some 265 women -- including Olympians and collegiate athletes -- of sexually abusing them over more than two decades. Bennell will be sentenced at a later date.

Ex-UK football coach found guilty on 43 charges of child sex abuse

United States President Donald Trump&nbsp;on Saturday denied any&nbsp;collusion&nbsp;between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.&nbsp;

&quot;Absolutely no collusion&quot; between his campaign and Russia, he said.

Trump made the&nbsp;comment for the first time since ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty in a federal investigation into a probable collusion between Moscow and Trump representatives.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ex-trump-aide-flynn-pleads-guilty-to-lying-about-russia-links-25647">Flynn pleaded guilty </a>on Friday for lying to the FBI about having associations with the Russian ambassador, making him the first representative of the White House to be charged in the criminal investigation.&nbsp;

Flynn, as part of his plea on Friday, agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller&#39;s investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump&#39;s 2016 presidential election campaign.

Trump made a comment for the first time since ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty in a federal investigation into a probable collusion between Moscow and Trump representatives.?

United States President Donald Trump on Saturday denied any collusion between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. "Absolutely no collusion" between his campaign and Russia, he said. Trump made the comment for the first time since ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty in a federal investigation into a probable collusion between Moscow and Trump representatives. Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday for lying to the FBI about having associations with the Russian ambassador, making him the first representative of the White House to be charged in the criminal investigation. Flynn, as part of his plea on Friday, agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign.

'Absolutely no collusion': Trump after Michael Flynn's guilty plea

French judges found IMF chief Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence on Monday for failing to challenge a state arbitration payout to a business tycoon in 2008 when she was French finance minister, but they did not punish her.

&quot;The context of the global financial crisis in which Madame Lagarde found herself in should be taken into account,&quot; said Martine Ract Madoux, the main judge, in explaining the absence of any sentence.

She also cited Lagarde&#39;s good reputation and international standing as reasons why the court did not hand down a punishment in a case that could have carried a sentence of up to a year in prison.

In their ruling, the judges did not see negligence in Lagarde&#39;s decision to seek an out-of-court settlement with businessman Bernard Tapie, but they said her failure to contest the award to him of 400 million euros ($417 million) was negligent, and led to a misuse of public funds.

Lagarde&#39;s lawyer said immediately after the ruling that his team would look into appealing the decision.

The ruling risks triggering a new leadership crisis at the International Monetary Fund after Lagarde&#39;s predecessor Dominique Strauss Khan resigned in 2011 over a sex assault scandal.

The Washington-based institution&#39;s executive board was expected to meet shortly to consider the implications of the verdict, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said.

(Reuters)

'The context of the global financial crisis in which Madame Lagarde found herself in should be taken into account,' the main judge said

French judges found IMF chief Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence on Monday for failing to challenge a state arbitration payout to a business tycoon in 2008 when she was French finance minister, but they did not punish her. "The context of the global financial crisis in which Madame Lagarde found herself in should be taken into account," said Martine Ract Madoux, the main judge, in explaining the absence of any sentence. She also cited Lagarde's good reputation and international standing as reasons why the court did not hand down a punishment in a case that could have carried a sentence of up to a year in prison. In their ruling, the judges did not see negligence in Lagarde's decision to seek an out-of-court settlement with businessman Bernard Tapie, but they said her failure to contest the award to him of 400 million euros ($417 million) was negligent, and led to a misuse of public funds. Lagarde's lawyer said immediately after the ruling that his team would look into appealing the decision. The ruling risks triggering a new leadership crisis at the International Monetary Fund after Lagarde's predecessor Dominique Strauss Khan resigned in 2011 over a sex assault scandal. The Washington-based institution's executive board was expected to meet shortly to consider the implications of the verdict, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said. (Reuters)

IMF's Lagarde found guilty, but not punished, in French negligence trial

Guatemala&#39;s former football chief pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to racketeering and wire fraud conspiracies in connection with the unprecedented FIFA corruption scandal rocking world soccer. 
 
Brayan Jimenez, 62, negotiated and accepted bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in awarding media and marketing rights for his country&#39;s qualifier matches for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, prosecutors said. 
 
Jimenez, a former member of FIFA&#39;s Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, agreed to forfeit $35,000. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count when sentenced, US officials said. 
 
Jimenez, who was detained in January in a disheveled and intoxicated state in a posh suburb of Guatemala City, was extradited to the United States in March. 
 
He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included corruption, money laundering, fraud and embezzlement, and was placed under house arrest after posting a $1.5 million bond, $75,000 of it in cash. 
 
US prosecutors in New York have indicted 40 football and sports marketing executives, including Jimenez, over allegedly receiving tens of millions of bribes and kickbacks in the largest corruption scandal in the history of soccer. 
 
More than a third have since pleaded guilty. None have yet been formally sentenced and a date is still pending to put the rest on trial. 
 
(AFP)

Brayan Jimenez agreed to forfeit $35,000 and faces a maximum sentence for 20 years for each count. He had initially pleaded not guilty

Guatemala's former football chief pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to racketeering and wire fraud conspiracies in connection with the unprecedented FIFA corruption scandal rocking world soccer. Brayan Jimenez, 62, negotiated and accepted bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in awarding media and marketing rights for his country's qualifier matches for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, prosecutors said. Jimenez, a former member of FIFA's Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, agreed to forfeit $35,000. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count when sentenced, US officials said. Jimenez, who was detained in January in a disheveled and intoxicated state in a posh suburb of Guatemala City, was extradited to the United States in March. He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included corruption, money laundering, fraud and embezzlement, and was placed under house arrest after posting a $1.5 million bond, $75,000 of it in cash. US prosecutors in New York have indicted 40 football and sports marketing executives, including Jimenez, over allegedly receiving tens of millions of bribes and kickbacks in the largest corruption scandal in the history of soccer. More than a third have since pleaded guilty. None have yet been formally sentenced and a date is still pending to put the rest on trial. (AFP)

Former Guatemalan football chief pleads guilty to FIFA corruption charges

A US army soldier who participated in a scheme to buy guns and send them to a security detail for the president and vice president of Indonesia plead guilty to several charges in federal court. 
 
Audi Sumilat pleaded guilty Tuesday and will be sentenced in October, the US attorney&#39;s office in New Hampshire said yesterday. 
The 36-year-old faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 
 
One of Sumilat&#39;s co-conspirators also has been charged and is scheduled to be tried on July 19.&nbsp;Assistant US Attorney Bill Morse said there have been cases in New Hampshire and other states involving international firearms trafficking to countries including Ghana, Canada and Mexico.&nbsp;&quot;But this is the first case that I&#39;m aware of in which the intended beneficiaries of the trafficking were representatives of a foreign government,&quot; Morse said. 
 
Authorities said Sumilat joined a conspiracy to buy guns in Texas and New Hampshire for members of the Indonesian Presidential Guard, who are tasked with providing security to the president and vice president but could not lawfully buy the weapons themselves. 
Sumilat admitted he and three guard members came up with a plan in 2014, when they were stationed together for training in Fort Benning, Georgia. 
 
Sumilat said he bought guns in Texas and shipped them to a co-conspirator in New Hampshire, who delivered them to guard members on visits to Washington DC, and to the UN General Assembly in New York. The guns were to be smuggled out of the United States. 
Sumilat pleaded guilty to making false statements in records required to be kept by federal firearms dealers for telling gun dealers the weapons were for him and for smuggling firearms from the US. 
 
To have legally exported the guns, Sumilat was required to get an exporter&#39;s license and a license covering the specific guns exported. No licenses were issued. 
 
New Hampshire US Attorney Emily Gray Rice said the consequences of international gun trafficking can be grave.&nbsp;&quot;Firearms exported overseas illegally can easily end up in the wrong hands,&quot; she said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;International gun trafficking will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible to protect innocent individuals, both American and foreign, from the criminal use of US weapons abroad.&quot; 
 
(AP)

Sumilat pleaded guilty in federal court, and faces a sentence of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine

A US army soldier who participated in a scheme to buy guns and send them to a security detail for the president and vice president of Indonesia plead guilty to several charges in federal court. Audi Sumilat pleaded guilty Tuesday and will be sentenced in October, the US attorney's office in New Hampshire said yesterday. The 36-year-old faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. One of Sumilat's co-conspirators also has been charged and is scheduled to be tried on July 19. Assistant US Attorney Bill Morse said there have been cases in New Hampshire and other states involving international firearms trafficking to countries including Ghana, Canada and Mexico. "But this is the first case that I'm aware of in which the intended beneficiaries of the trafficking were representatives of a foreign government," Morse said. Authorities said Sumilat joined a conspiracy to buy guns in Texas and New Hampshire for members of the Indonesian Presidential Guard, who are tasked with providing security to the president and vice president but could not lawfully buy the weapons themselves. Sumilat admitted he and three guard members came up with a plan in 2014, when they were stationed together for training in Fort Benning, Georgia. Sumilat said he bought guns in Texas and shipped them to a co-conspirator in New Hampshire, who delivered them to guard members on visits to Washington DC, and to the UN General Assembly in New York. The guns were to be smuggled out of the United States. Sumilat pleaded guilty to making false statements in records required to be kept by federal firearms dealers for telling gun dealers the weapons were for him and for smuggling firearms from the US. To have legally exported the guns, Sumilat was required to get an exporter's license and a license covering the specific guns exported. No licenses were issued. New Hampshire US Attorney Emily Gray Rice said the consequences of international gun trafficking can be grave. "Firearms exported overseas illegally can easily end up in the wrong hands," she said in a statement. "International gun trafficking will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible to protect innocent individuals, both American and foreign, from the criminal use of US weapons abroad." (AP)

US soldier smuggles guns for Indonesian President's security detail

An Illinois man accused of breaking into the Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts of celebrities to obtain their private photos and videos has agreed to plead guilty to a felony computer hacking charge, prosecutors said on Friday. 
 
Edward Majerczyk, 28, facing up to five years in prison, is the second man charged in a federal investigation into the leaks of nude photos of several Hollywood actresses, including Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, in September 2014. 
 
According to a plea agreement signed by Majerczyk, he illegally accessed Apple iCloud&nbsp;and Google Gmail&nbsp;accounts belonging to more than 300 people, using an email &quot;phishing&quot; ploy to obtain their user names and passwords. 
 
Through this scheme, Majerczyk was able to access full iCloud backups belonging to numerous victims, including at least 30 celebrities, many of whom reside in the Los Angeles area, the plea agreement stated. 
 
&quot;Many of these backups contained sensitive and private photographs and videos,&quot; it said. 
 
Under his deal with federal prosecutors, Majerczyk, a Chicago resident, will formally plead guilty in US District Court in Illinois to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, according to the US Attorney&#39;s Office in Los Angeles. 
 
A 36-year-old Pennsylvania man, Ryan Collins, pleaded guilty in March to the same offence in a case stemming from the same investigation. 
 
Like Collins, federal authorities said they had found no evidence linking Majerczyk to actual public circulation of any of the photos to which he gained access. 
 
While no victims were named in court documents, the investigation began after Lawrence and other celebrities, including actresses Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union and model Kate Upton, complained in interviews about having their private photos end up publicly disseminated online. 
 
It was not the first time celebrity nude photos obtained through computer intrusions led to a criminal prosecution. 
 
A Florida man was sentenced in 2012 to 10 years in prison for hacking into email accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera to leak private information and explicit photos. Pop star Taylor Swift said her Twitter and Instagram accounts were hacked in January 2015. 
 
More recently, a Bahamian man in New York pleaded guilty in May to charges of hacking into celebrities&#39; email accounts to steal unreleased movies and television scripts. 
 
And a Filipino man was charged last month in New Jersey with running a scheme to hack into the bank and credit card accounts of celebrities. 
 
(Reuters)

Federal authorities say they have no evidence that Majerczyk circulated any of the pictures he acquired illegally

An Illinois man accused of breaking into the Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts of celebrities to obtain their private photos and videos has agreed to plead guilty to a felony computer hacking charge, prosecutors said on Friday. Edward Majerczyk, 28, facing up to five years in prison, is the second man charged in a federal investigation into the leaks of nude photos of several Hollywood actresses, including Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, in September 2014. According to a plea agreement signed by Majerczyk, he illegally accessed Apple iCloud and Google Gmail accounts belonging to more than 300 people, using an email "phishing" ploy to obtain their user names and passwords. Through this scheme, Majerczyk was able to access full iCloud backups belonging to numerous victims, including at least 30 celebrities, many of whom reside in the Los Angeles area, the plea agreement stated. "Many of these backups contained sensitive and private photographs and videos," it said. Under his deal with federal prosecutors, Majerczyk, a Chicago resident, will formally plead guilty in US District Court in Illinois to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, according to the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. A 36-year-old Pennsylvania man, Ryan Collins, pleaded guilty in March to the same offence in a case stemming from the same investigation. Like Collins, federal authorities said they had found no evidence linking Majerczyk to actual public circulation of any of the photos to which he gained access. While no victims were named in court documents, the investigation began after Lawrence and other celebrities, including actresses Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union and model Kate Upton, complained in interviews about having their private photos end up publicly disseminated online. It was not the first time celebrity nude photos obtained through computer intrusions led to a criminal prosecution. A Florida man was sentenced in 2012 to 10 years in prison for hacking into email accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera to leak private information and explicit photos. Pop star Taylor Swift said her Twitter and Instagram accounts were hacked in January 2015. More recently, a Bahamian man in New York pleaded guilty in May to charges of hacking into celebrities' email accounts to steal unreleased movies and television scripts. And a Filipino man was charged last month in New Jersey with running a scheme to hack into the bank and credit card accounts of celebrities. (Reuters)

Illinois man agrees to plead guilty in celebrity hacking case

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