Revenge porn operator agrees to plea to criminal charges in Los Angeles

Thu Feb 19, 2015 3:07pm EST

(Refiles story dated February 18, correcting first name of defendant to Hunter instead of Michael in second paragraph)

By Alex Dobuzinskis

(Reuters) - A man who posted explicit photos of women on his so-called revenge porn website, some taken from hacked email accounts, has agreed to plead guilty in Los Angeles to hacking and identity theft charges, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The plea agreement between Hunter Moore, 28, and federal prosecutors comes nearly three years after BBC News called him "The net's most hated man" and reported that he was known to post the full name and location of people whose naked photos he featured on his site.

Revenge porn, which involves posting online photos of women or men without their consent, typically by jilted ex-lovers, has drawn the attention of lawmakers in several states who have approved legislation intended to stop the practice.

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Moore, like other revenge porn entrepreneurs, posted nude photos of women and a few men submitted by former lovers, but went further by paying a hacker to illegally access email accounts to obtain more nude photos for the site.

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