'Sexual Cyber Terrorist' Sentenced To 60 Months In Federal Prison
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A Glendale man prosecutors called a "sexual cyber terrorist" was sentenced Monday to 60 months in federal prison.
Karen "Gary" Kazaryan, 27, pleaded guilty in July to felony counts of computer hacking and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Kazaryan hacked into hundreds of online accounts, obtaining naked pictures from those accounts, then extorted the victims to provide additional photos and videos. If they refused, he posted the original pictures on the Internet.
In other cases, Kazaryan posed as young women and asked their friends to provide naked photos.
Glendale Man Sentenced In 'Sextortion' Case
"His victims were devastated and felt like they had been raped," according to the sentencing memorandum. "They continue to be thoroughly traumatized by his criminal conduct."
Prosecutors, who recommended a six-year prison term, wrote, "Kazaryan is a sexual cyber terrorist. He hacked into hundreds of victims' email, Facebook and Skype accounts using their usernames and passwords or password reset questions. He then methodically searched their accounts for naked pictures, passwords, and the contact information of their friends."
"He had two goals every time that he accessed these accounts: get more naked pictures in any way he could, and get more victims," prosecutors wrote.
