A 19-year-old Southern California computer science student has pleaded guilty to hacking the computers of Miss Teen USA and other women and secretly photographing them with their own webcams.Jared James Abrahams entered his plea Tuesday in federal court in Orange County. He faces up to 11 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million when he's sentenced in March. Abrahams also is accused of emailing the victims and saying he'd publish the images of them on social media sites if they didn't send him additional pictures or undress for him.He told the judge he has autism and has been under treatment for it for the past 10 years. Abrahams agreed to plead guilty last month to three counts of extortion and one count of unauthorized access of a computer.
Abrahams hacked into the computers of Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf and several other women from various states and countries, authorities said. He was then able to control the webcams and surreptitiously photograph them, authorities said.Abrahams would then send the victims anonymous emails telling them he had downloaded nude photos of them and would publish the images on social media sites if they didn't send him additional pictures or undress for him, according to court documents. If they complied, he promised to destroy the images. At least two of his victims caved in to his demands, authorities said.In Wolf's case, Abrahams posted a naked photo of her online after she didn't respond to him, authorities said. He also was able to take nude photos of her without her knowledge, authorities said. According to an FBI affidavit, he told Wolf, who was an acquaintance, "your dream of being a model will be transformed into a pornstar." Wolf, also 19 and a graduate of Great Oak High School in Temecula, won the Miss Teen USA crown in August.Abrahams is accused of employing similar hacking tactics used by a Florida man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year after he broke into the personal online accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera and other women and posted revealing photos and other material on the Internet.ReadMore:Android Games
Pleading guilty for hacking and extortion (Image credit: Getty Images)
Abrahams hacked into the computers of Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf and several other women from various states and countries, authorities said. He was then able to control the webcams and surreptitiously photograph them, authorities said.Abrahams would then send the victims anonymous emails telling them he had downloaded nude photos of them and would publish the images on social media sites if they didn't send him additional pictures or undress for him, according to court documents. If they complied, he promised to destroy the images. At least two of his victims caved in to his demands, authorities said.In Wolf's case, Abrahams posted a naked photo of her online after she didn't respond to him, authorities said. He also was able to take nude photos of her without her knowledge, authorities said. According to an FBI affidavit, he told Wolf, who was an acquaintance, "your dream of being a model will be transformed into a pornstar." Wolf, also 19 and a graduate of Great Oak High School in Temecula, won the Miss Teen USA crown in August.Abrahams is accused of employing similar hacking tactics used by a Florida man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year after he broke into the personal online accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera and other women and posted revealing photos and other material on the Internet.ReadMore:Android Games
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