FBI seized computers linked to celeb photo leak scandal
A huge celebrity nude leak scandal took the internet by storm last year -- now, an unsealed federal search warrant gives us a peek into the FBI's investigations. Apparently, the feds used phone records and IP to track one of the computers used to access the celebrities' compromised accounts in October 2014. That computer was linked to two email addresses owned by a 30-year-old man named Emilio Herrera. As a result, the FBI conducted a search of Herrera's home in Chicago and ended up seizing several computers, antiquated phones, memory cards, a Kindle Fire and, curiously, even two floppy disks. Herrera isn't necessarily a suspect, though: he wasn't even arrested, and investigation's still ongoing.
According to the documents, Herrera's computer and IP address were used to illegally access 572 unique iCloud accountsaround six times each. They were also used in attempts to reset almost 2,000 other iCloud passwords. The documents state that majority of the accounts accessed from Herrera's home belong to celebs, models and their families, and that a number of them belong to the victims of the nude leak.
Feds didn't list those victims' full names in the docs, but gave their initials as follows: A.S., C.H., H.S., J.M., O.W., A.K., E.B. and A.H. A separate affidavit unearthed by the Chicago Sun-Times details a detective's interview with another called J.L.. Some of them told the feds they took the photos with their phones and only sent a select few to their significant others, yet all their images still made it online. A few remember being kicked and locked out of their own accounts for a period of time last year (one even got spooked enough to disable iCloud afterwards), while others recall receiving phishing messages. You can read the full warrant and affidavit (courtesy of Gawker) right here, if you want to know more about the case.
