A Florida man who said he became addicted to spying on celebrities must spend the next 10 years in a federal prison for hacking their e-mail . Christopher Chaney , 36 , stole nude photos , scripts and personal information from the e-mail accounts of 50 entertainment industry figures , including movie stars Scarlett Johansson and Mila Kunis and singer Christina Aguilera , prosecutors said . The FBI 's Los Angeles office busted Chaney last year during its `` Operation Hackerazzi , '' which looked into computer intrusions targeting individuals associated with the entertainment industry . During a hearing Monday in Los Angeles , U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero sentenced Chaney to 120 months -- 10 years -- in prison and ordered him to pay $ 66,179 in restitution . Chaney pleaded guilty earlier this year to wiretapping charges and has been in custody since March . Without a plea deal , he could have faced 121 years in prison if convicted on all 26 charges , the U.S. attorney said . `` Mr. Chaney is responsible for causing dozens of illegally obtained , private photographs to be posted on the Internet , where they were available for all to see , '' said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. `` This case is a sobering reminder that cybercrime poses a very real threat to every American , and everyone should take steps to safeguard their identities and personal information on the Internet . '' Chaney , who is from Jacksonville , Florida , apologized when he was arrested in October 2011 . `` What I 'm most sorry about is that I had to drag my mom into all of this , and my family and my neighbors , and they just want to live their lives , '' Chaney told reporters . Chaney told a reporter that he had become `` addicted '' to the intrusion and `` did n't know how to stop . '' `` I know what I did was probably one of the worst invasions of privacy someone could experience , '' he told CNN affiliate WAWS/WTEV in Jacksonville . `` And these people do n't have privacy to begin with . And I was in that little sliver of privacy they do have . '' A nude photo of Johansson that was circulated online last year was part of the investigation , Birotte said . Chaney allegedly `` also took financial information , movie scripts and conversations that the celebrities believed to be private , '' Birotte told reporters . Chaney said the hacking `` started as curiosity and it turned into just being , you know , addicted to seeing the behind-the-scenes of what 's going on with these people you see on the big screen every day . '' `` It just happened and snowballed , '' he said , adding that he wishes it had never begun . Chaney said he felt `` almost relieved months ago '' when authorities seized his computer because `` I did n't know how to stop doing it myself . I was n't attempting to break into e-mails and get stuff to sell or purposely put it on the Internet . It just -- I do n't know . '' Authorities allege that Chaney distributed the photos he obtained illegally and offered them to celebrity blog sites . Some of the files , including private photographs , were posted online `` as a result of Chaney 's alleged activities , '' authorities said in a statement . Chaney admitted when he entered his guilty plea that he hacked e-mail accounts by clicking on the `` forgot your password ? '' feature to reset passwords . His research of celebrities ' personal information helped him to correctly answer their security questions . `` Once Chaney gained exclusive control of the victims ' e-mail accounts , he was able to access all of their e-mail boxes , '' the U.S. attorney 's office said . `` While in the accounts , Chaney also went through their contact lists to find addresses of potential new hacking targets . '' While inside the accounts , he changed the settings to forward a copy of each e-mail to his own inbox , the prosecutor said . `` Most of the victims did not check their account settings , so even after they regained control of their e-mail accounts , Chaney 's e-mail address remained in their account settings . '' See more entertainment news .
Christopher Chaney , 36 , stole nude photos , info from celebrities ' e-mail . Federal judge sends `` hackerazzi '' defendant to prison for wiretapping guilty pleas . `` It just happened and snowballed , '' Chaney says of his celeb e-mail hacking . Guard your passwords and information , a prosecutor warns .