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Artist News Legal
Woman charged over Selena Gomez email hack
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 16 July 2018
A woman from New Jersey could face nearly ten years in jail after being charged last week with eleven felonies relating to allegations she hacked the email account of Selena Gomez.
The LA County District Attorney’s Office confirmed on Friday that Susan Atrach from New Jersey had been formally charged over the alleged hack. Deputy District Attorney Ben Forer from the office’s Cyber Crime Division told reporters: “The defendant is accused of accessing the victims’ accounts several times from June 2015 through February 2016. She then allegedly obtained stored media that she posted online and shared with other people”.
The specific charges Atrach faces are: five felony counts of identity theft; five felony counts of accessing and using computer data to commit fraud or to control or obtain money, property or data; and one felony count of accessing and using computer data or taking supporting documentation without permission.
If found guilty, those crimes could result in a custodial sentence of up to nine years and eight months. The LA County DA added that its investigation of the hacking is ongoing.
Various celebs have had servers or email accounts hacked in recent years, of course, with hackers often seeking to find private and personal photos that can be shared, either for fun or financial gain. Gomez, meanwhile, also had her Instagram account hacked last year. The hacker used the occasion to post a naked photo of her on again off again on again off again boyfriend Justin Bieber. You know, just for giggles.
