FBI arrest and charge revenge porn mogul Hunter Moore

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jan/23/fbi-arrest-and-charge-revenge-porn-mogul-hunter-moore

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The FBI on Thursday arrested the revenge porn dealer Hunter Moore, who has often been described as the most hated man on the internet, for allegedly conspiring to hack people’s email accounts, in order to steal nude photographs with the intention of posting them online.

Moore, 27, and Charles Evens, 25, are charged with 15 counts including related to computer hacking, identity theft and conspiracy. If convicted on all charges they could face at least 42 years in prison.

According to the indictment, Moore allegedly instructed Evens to hack into the victims’ email accounts, to obtain nude or sexually explicit photos. Moore paid Evens for the photos, which were then posted on Moore’s website, isanyoneup.com, without the subjects’ permission.

Seven victims are identified by initials in the federal indictment, which says that each person “maintained email accounts that contained, among other things, nude pictures of themselves and others”. The victims' email services were provided by Google and Yahoo.

Moore and Evens allegedly “worked with others unknown to the jury”.

Federal officials did not known when the alleged hacking began, though in October 2011 Evens and Moore exchanged emails discussing “how to hack emails” and Moore offering to pay Evens $200 per week. At one point, Evens sent Moore an email asking for $250 for nude pictures of “6 guys and 6 girls”.

The indictment said the alleged acts occurred through May 2011 and charged the pair with conspiracy, unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done.

Moore, a DJ, built his revenge porn empire from his home in an area of northern California best known for agriculture and its politics scene. A frequent social-media user, his last post on Twitter was to the singer Justin Bieber, also arrested on Thursday morning. Moore said to Bieber he was “comin to bust you out”. 

In March 2013, the anti-bullying website founder James McGibney won a $250,000 defamation suit against Moore, who accused McGibney of pedophilia after McGibney purchased and shut down isanyoneup.com in April 2012.

Evens and Moore were due to appear in California courtrooms on Thursday afternoon – Moore in a federal court in Sacramento and Evens in a US District Court in Los Angeles.

The indictment was unsealed on Thursday. A federal grand jury was seated in October and the document was filed under seal on 20 December.