A man accused of hacking into the emails of Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera, Mila Kunis and other celebrities has pleaded not guilty to charges against him.
Christopher Chaney, 35, appeared at a Los Angeles court three weeks after he was detained following an 11-month investigation by the FBI.
He is charged with identity theft, unauthorised computer access and telephone tapping, and faces up to 121 years in prison if found guilty of 26 charges.
A judge has allowed him to remain free but ordered him to wear an electronic tag, stick to a nightly curfew, avoid all use of internet-connected devices and have no contact with anyone under 18 without his parents being present.
“You have to stay away from the celebrities,” Chaney was told in court.
His arrest came after an 11-month investigation dubbed Operation Hackerazzi into the hacking of more than 50 celebrities, of who Johansson , Aguilera and Kunis were the highest-profile names.
Aguilera ‘s computer was hacked last December, when racy photographs of her also hit the internet. Kunis ‘ mobile phone was hacked in September with pictures of her, including one in a bathtub, also being posted online.
Hacked pictures of Johansson appeared in mid-September and showed her in a state of undress in a home setting.
The FBI alleges Chaney used open-source, public information to try to guess a celebrity’s email password, and then would breach the account.
Explaining how the hacking began, he said: “It started as curiosity and it turned to just being addictive… Seeing the behind-the-scenes of what’s going on with the people you see on the big screen.”
He denied criminal intent, saying: “I wasn’t saving the emails to blackmail someone.”
Article source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/celebrity-hacker-suspect-pleads-not-guilty-124142114.html
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