Ryan 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 it found no evidence that he posted or shared the images that became public in September 2014. The headline’s wording therefore blurs two distinct matters: Collins’s account intrusions and the later public leaks.
What Ryan Collins pleaded guilty to
On May 24, 2016, Collins, then 36 and from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court in Harrisburg to one felony count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The plea concerned accessing accounts and obtaining information—not publicly releasing the photographs.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s May 24, 2016 announcement, from November 2012 through early September 2014, Collins sent phishing emails made to look as if they came from Apple or Google. The emails asked recipients for usernames and passwords. He used credentials to access email accounts and obtain personal information, including nude photographs and videos. In some cases, he used software to download the full contents of victims’ Apple iCloud backups.
What investigators said about the public leaks
The case was part of the investigation into photographs of numerous female celebrities that became public in September 2014, an incident the DOJ called “Celebgate.” The same announcement stated: “However, investigators have not uncovered any evidence linking Collins to the actual leaks or that Collins shared or uploaded the information he obtained.”
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That distinction matters: the DOJ described Collins as having obtained intimate material through unauthorized account access, but its announcement did not establish that he was responsible for publishing the images. Avoid treating “pleaded guilty” as proof that he posted them.
How many accounts were involved
The DOJ reported that Collins accessed at least 50 iCloud accounts and 72 Gmail accounts; most belonged to female celebrities. Those figures count accounts in Collins’s case, not individual victims or leaked files. The announcement does not give a count of photographs made public.
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What penalty did Collins face?
At the time of the plea announcement, the DOJ said Collins faced a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. It also cautioned that the statutory maximum does not indicate what sentence a particular defendant is likely to receive. The May 2016 release said a sentencing date had not yet been set; it does not establish that Collins received the maximum.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Collins’s case differed from other defendants’ cases
Other defendants were prosecuted in connection with the broader Celebgate investigation. Their account totals and case outcomes concern separate conduct and should not be attributed to Collins.
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| Defendant | Account figures in DOJ announcement | Case status described by DOJ | What DOJ said about posting the images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Collins | At least 50 iCloud accounts and 72 Gmail accounts | Pleaded guilty in May 2016 to unauthorized access to obtain information | Investigators had found no evidence linking him to the public leaks or showing he shared or uploaded what he obtained |
| Edward Majerczyk | At least 300 accounts, including at least 30 celebrity accounts | Pleaded guilty; DOJ announced a nine-month prison sentence in January 2017 | DOJ said it found no evidence he was responsible for posting the photos |
| George Garofano | At least 250 iCloud accounts | In January 2018, DOJ said he had agreed to plead guilty; it described his case as the fourth stemming from the investigation | The cited announcement does not establish that he posted the images |
The separate figures and case stages come from DOJ announcements about Majerczyk and Garofano. They are not directly interchangeable measures of victims, files, or identical conduct.
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