Andrew Helton, Hacking Apple E-Mail Accounts, California 2023

LOS ANGELES, California - An Oregon man has pleaded guilty to a felony computer hacking charge related to a phishing scheme that gave him illegal access to 363 Apple and Google e-mail accounts, including those belonging to members of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles.

Andrew Helton, 29, of Portland, pleaded guilty yesterday to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, specifically a charge of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information.

Helton pleaded guilty before United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 2. As a result of yesterday’s guilty plea, Helton faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

“In today’s digital world, people use their e-mail and online accounts to store photos, music, notes, calendars, contacts, financial, and health information,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker.

According to his plea agreement, from March 2011 to May 2013, Helton engaged in a phishing scheme to obtain usernames and passwords for his victims. He sent e-mails to victims that appeared to be from Apple or Google and asked victims to “verify” their accounts by clicking on a link.

Once the victims clicked on the link, they were taken to a malicious website that looked like an Apple or Google login page. When the victims entered usernames and passwords on the malicious website, Helton then had access to the victims’ e-mail accounts.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/oregon-man-pleads-guilty-hacking-apple-e-mail-accounts