A Glendale California man, Gary Kazaryan, who was facing accusations that he hacked into numerous Facebook and Skype email accounts and then coerced women to strip their clothes for him has plead guilty to federal computer fraud charges.
He admitted in court that he hacked into Internet accounts with personal information and used either nude or semi-nude photos of other women to coerce female victims to show him their body. Normally, this would occur over Skype.
Federal prosecutors said that in many cases, he would hack into their account and change the password, which would prevent the victims from accessing their own account.
After he gained control of their account, he would search their computer files for for naked or semi-naked pictures of them. He would also look for other personal information and passwords of their friends.
Prosecutors also said that after he obtained the personal information, he would pretend online to be the victim. He would send messages to their friends in the contact list asking them to take off their clothes so he could look at them and take a picture. If the friends refused to comply, he would post nude pictures of the victims on their Facebook page.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in the Los Angeles federal district court.
By pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft and computer intrusion charges, prosecutors agreed to seek a sentence of not more than six years in a federal prison.
The United States Attorney’s Office said he was initially arrested by FBI agents in January, 2013, after a federal grand jury returned a 30 count criminal indictment. Agents believe there are at least 350 victims, but they have not been able to identify all of them. A search of his computer revealed over 3,000 pictures of nude or semi-nude women.
If you are facing any type of computer-related crime in the Los Angeles area, it’s important that you consult with a criminal defense lawyer at the Goldstein Law Office to review the evidence in your case to determine how we can defend you. Computer crimes can be very technical, and you will need a law firm who has experience defending these type cases.
Each criminal case will have unique circumstances that must be examined in order to build a strong legal defense. We will thoroughly review all aspects of you case and guide you through each step of the legal process. We have a track record of success and will make every effort to obtain a positive outcome.