Oswego, Illinois — A suburban Chicago man has pleaded guilty in federal court to orchestrating a multi-year phishing scheme that targeted dozens of women by hacking into their Snapchat accounts to steal and sell private images, prosecutors said.
Kyle Svara, 26, of Oswego, entered guilty pleas Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston to multiple felony charges, including aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and making false statements related to child sexual abuse material. According to federal prosecutors, the scheme ran from May 2020 through February 2021.
Authorities said Svara used social engineering techniques to gather victims’ email addresses, phone numbers, and Snapchat usernames. He then triggered Snapchat security alerts and posed as a company representative, texting victims from anonymized numbers and asking them to provide account access codes. Prosecutors said he contacted more than 4,500 people, successfully gaining access to at least 59 women’s accounts after roughly 570 victims shared their codes.
Once inside the accounts, Svara downloaded nude and semi-nude images and sold or traded them on internet forums. He also advertised hacking services on platforms such as Reddit, offering to break into Snapchat accounts for paying clients. Prosecutors said some victims lived near Plainfield, Illinois, or attended Colby College in Maine.
Investigators further alleged that Svara collected and distributed child sexual abuse material, contradicting statements he made during questioning. One co-conspirator, former Northeastern University track coach Steve Waithe, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2024 for related crimes.
Svara faces sentencing on May 18 and could receive more than 30 years in prison.
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