When the personal, private photos of celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Selena Gomez, and Rihanna appeared online in August 2014, there was a lot of debate over what to call it. The word “leak” was rejected by many as too passive, the word “scandal” seemed to put partial blame on the victim. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Lawrence herself said, “It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting.” Well, now we have another word for it: felony. One of the men responsible, Ryan Collins, has pled guilty to felony computer-hacking charges and could face up to five years in prison.
Variety reports that Collins, a 36-year-old Pennsylvania resident, signed a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s L.A. office on Tuesday. Because he cooperated with prosecutors, Collins may see a reduced sentence of only 18 months. As Lawrence put it at the time, “The law needs to be changed, and we need to change.” The law hasn’t exactly changed here, but both the successful capture and the felony charge should serve as a strong deterrent to anyone hoping to follow in Collins’s invasive footsteps.
