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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Ryan Collins pleaded guilty to phishing and illegally accessing email accounts to obtain personal information, including nude photographs and videos. But the U.S. Department of Justice said investigators found no evidence linking him to the public posting of the celebrity photos or showing that he shared or uploaded what he obtained. The headline shorthand that he “leaked” the images therefore goes beyond what the DOJ established in its May 24, 2016 announcement.
What Ryan Collins pleaded guilty to
On May 24, 2016, Collins, 36, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Court Judge William W. Caldwell in Harrisburg. The charge was one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, a felony under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The plea concerned the intrusion and acquisition of information—not a demonstrated role in publishing the photographs. The DOJ stated: “However, investigators have not uncovered any evidence linking Collins to the actual leaks or that Collins shared or uploaded the information he obtained.”
How the phishing scheme worked
Prosecutors said that from November 2012 through early September 2014, Collins sent emails designed to look as though they came from Apple or Google. The messages asked recipients to provide usernames and passwords. He then used those credentials to enter email accounts and obtain personal information.
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The information included nude photographs and videos. In some instances, the DOJ said, Collins used software to download the full contents of victims’ Apple iCloud backups. Its account-specific totals were at least 50 iCloud accounts and 72 Gmail accounts accessed. Those figures count accounts, not necessarily distinct people, individual photographs, or images that were publicly posted.
What the plea does—and does not—establish about the 2014 leaks
The case emerged from the investigation into photographs of numerous female celebrities that became public in September 2014, which the DOJ referred to as “Celebgate.” Collins’s access to accounts and acquisition of intimate material were part of the case. The DOJ announcement did not establish that he was the person who made the images public, nor did it say he shared or uploaded them.
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That distinction matters: stealing or obtaining private material and distributing it are separate acts. The official account supports the former in Collins’s case, while expressly saying investigators found no evidence tying him to the latter. The release does not settle every question about who posted the images; it sets out what investigators had and had not linked to Collins when they announced his plea.
How Collins’s case differed from other Celebgate prosecutions
Other defendants were prosecuted in cases arising from the broader investigation. Their account totals and case stages should not be treated as evidence against Collins or as equivalent measures of the same conduct.
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| Defendant | Conduct and account figures reported by DOJ | Plea or sentencing status in the cited announcement | What DOJ said about publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Collins | Phishing from November 2012 to early September 2014; at least 50 iCloud and 72 Gmail accounts accessed. | Pleaded guilty on May 24, 2016, to unauthorized access to obtain information. | Investigators had found no evidence linking him to the actual leaks or showing he shared or uploaded the information. DOJ, May 24, 2016. |
| Edward Majerczyk | Separate phishing scheme; at least 300 accounts accessed, including at least 30 celebrity accounts. | Pleaded guilty; DOJ reported a nine-month prison sentence in its January 25, 2017 announcement. | DOJ said it found no evidence he was responsible for posting the photos. DOJ, January 25, 2017. |
| George Garofano | Separate phishing scheme involving at least 250 iCloud accounts. | DOJ reported on January 11, 2018 that he had agreed to plead guilty; the announcement called it the fourth case stemming from the investigation. | The cited announcement does not establish a role in posting the images. DOJ, January 11, 2018. |
The account counts come from separate prosecutions and do not show how many distinct victims or leaked files were involved. The announcements also describe different stages of proceedings, so they do not support a like-for-like ranking of defendants’ conduct.
What sentence Collins faced at the time
When announcing Collins’s plea, the DOJ said the charge carried a statutory maximum of five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The release said no sentencing date had been set and cautioned that the statutory maximum does not predict the sentence in a particular case. Those figures describe the maximum stated at the plea announcement; they are not evidence that Collins received that sentence.
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Why the case matters
The case illustrates how impersonation emails can turn a routine request for account credentials into access to private email and cloud-stored material. Its central documented harm was the acquisition of intimate information without authorization. The public release’s careful distinction between that conduct and the later posting also shows why a guilty plea for hacking should not be recast as proof that the defendant published the stolen material.
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- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your YubiKey 5 via USB and tap it to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
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- BUILT TO LAST: Made from tough, waterproof, and crush-resistant materials. Manufactured in Sweden and programmed in the USA with the highest security standards.
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