Duval County

Published on: October 24, 2011

Florida White Collar Criminal Defense Attorneys Whittel & Melton :: Jacksonville Man Arrested in Operation Hackerazzi for Allegedly Stealing Nude Photos of Hollywood Celebs

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Federal authorities arrested and charged a 35-year-old Jacksonville, Florida man for allegedly hacking into more than 50 celebrities e-mail accounts, as well as breaking into Hollywood starlet Scarlett Johansson’s phone and leaking nude pictures of her to the Internet.

He was charged on Wednesday morning with 26 counts of accessing protected computers without authorization, identity theft, damaging protected computers without authorization, and wiretapping.

Other victims included Christina Aguilera, Mila Kunis, Simone Harouche and Renee Olstead.
His arrest was part of a crackdown on hackers who target celebrities called Operation Hackerazzi.

According to the FBI, the man used publicly available data about the celebrities to supposedly hack into their e-mail accounts. He allegedly set a secret forwarding address so that all incoming e-mails would be sent to an account he controlled.

The man is accused of hacking into Johansson’s Yahoo account in December 2010. He supposedly broke into Harouche and Augilera’s accounts at Apple’s Me.com email service a month earlier.

Nude photos of Johansson and intimate portraits of Kunis and Justin Timberlake supposedly appeared online in early September. The man is accused of offering the photos to celebrity-focused blogs. It is unknown if the man tried to sell the pictures.

The U.S. District Attorney’s office in Los Angeles wants the man transferred to L.A. for trial.

This man faces a maximum prison sentence of 121 years. Cybercrime charges like hacking and identity theft require the knowledge of technical computer skills as well as aggressive legal defense skills. Cybercrime charges should be taken very seriously as prosecutors often try and push for maximum penalties. Many charges related to hacking are made in federal court, so it is important to be vigilant in your defense.

E-mail hacking has become quite popular over the last few years because many people receive, send and store personal and private information through their e-mail accounts. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Internet Crime Complaint Center Web site received 336,655 complaint submissions in 2009 regarding cybercrimes, a 22.3 percent increase compared to 2008 reports. It is important to understand that both state and federal laws govern computer hacking. Hacking crimes entail gaining unauthorized access to private information in order to commit Internet-related crimes such as credit or debit card fraud, identity theft, phishing, vandalism, intellectual property theft and other forms of cybercrime.

As always, early intervention is crucial in obtaining positive results. Different from crimes committed in person, online activity like Internet fraud can be viewed and tracked by other users including police. Computer and Internet crime consequences can include jail, state or federal prison, restitution, fines, probation and even potential loss of employment. The Florida White Collar Criminal Defense Attorneys at Whittel & Melton are available around the clock for a free consultation, so contact us today.

Published on: September 30, 2008

Fashion Emergency: Mini-skirt Wearing Male Officer Charged with DUI

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

It was a fashion 911 of sorts. News 4 in Jacksonville reports that a Panama City male probation officer wearing a blond wig, black miniskirt and fishnet stockings was pulled over by law enforcement last week. The “guy”–Ryder Laramore– also happens to be the son of a public defender.

According to police, several drivers called about Laramore’s dangerous driving, and when he was pulled over, a bottle of vodka was sticking out from under his seat. Laramore said he had just left a party but had not been drinking and told police that he was a probation officer and he would lose his job. Bay County officials charged Laramore with DUI, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

At this point, losing his job appears to be the least of his worries.

Published on: August 30, 2008

Ex-Jacksonville Jaguar Jimmy Smith Arrested for Possession of Marijuana and Drunk Driving during DUI Roadblock

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Despite a previous DUI arrest and the Florida media reporting on the exact whereabouts of DUI roadblocks, Jimmy Smith has been arrested for DUI for a second time. Both the DUI and accompanying Possession of Marijuana charge are misdemeanors–however it’s likely that State Prosecutors are aware that Smith’s prior 2001 DUI charge was dropped and will treat this DUI more like a second DUI.

Reports state that Smith was pulled over during a DUI roadblock, which under Florida law, holds law enforcement to higher standards than in a typical DUI arrest. DUI roadblock cases have additional legal requirements because of the driver’s Fourth Amendment right to privacy and protection from unreasonable search and seizures. The fact is, unlike a normal DUI case–where cops are either called to the scene of an accident or stop an individual for a traffic infraction–in a DUI roadblock situation, a driver, for no reason other than traveling on a road, is stopped and questioned momentarily without cause. This police stop triggers constitutional protections that requires the State of Florida to, among other things: (1) show the reasons why they set up a DUI roadblock, (2) establish consistent policy and procedures for the operation of the roadblock, (3) state the goal of the operation, and (4) provide an adequate amount of protection to the citizens, i.e. not stopping every driver that falls upon the roadblock route. The last question is the most scrutinized, as courts and legal scholars have often argued that roadblocks create a chilling effect on citizens’ freedom to travel in the community–a right the U.S Supreme Court has established as a fundamental constitutional right.

If you or a loved one has been charged with DUI, Possession of Marijuana, or have questions about DUI Roadblocks, contact North Florida DUI Attorney Jason Melton immediately at 866-608-5529.