Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Revenge Porn Kingpin Hunter Moore Nabbed By FBI
Hunter Moore was arrested by the FBI (Photo via Hunter Moore's Instagram)
()
The FBI arrested the man who ran the notorious but now-defunct "revenge porn" website isanyoneup.com and his associate.
Hunter Moore, 27 is the kingpin behind the website that posted naked photos and videos of people, many without their consent, and included links to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. (Shudder. Our worst nightmare.) Even BBC News called Moore "the net's most hated man."
He and his partner-in-crime, 25-year-old Charles Evens, were arrested this morning, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. They were charged in a 15-count felony indictment unsealed by the U.S. District Court in L.A, including suspicion of conspiracy, seven counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information and seven counts of aggravated identity theft.
Moore took down his isanyoneup.com website back in April 2012 because of the "legal drama" he was facing, he wrote on his website, and it now directs to anti-bullying group site Bullyville.com. (He might have also put an end to his posting after one pissed-off female victim stabbed him in his shoulder with a ballpoint pen at his house.) Even Facebook banned Moore for life as well as his 40-pound cat, Alan, according to Rolling Stone.
Support for LAist comes from
Moore's site wasn't just a clearinghouse for pictures sent by vengeful exes. The indictment claims Moore would get Evens to hack into victims' email accounts to find even more photos. He would pay Evens for those photos through Paypal and post them on his site—without consent. Investigators discovered this through email exchanges between the two that discussed the hacking.
The Awl wrote in 2011 that Moore hit 30 million page views a month and made up to $13,000 a month from it. However, the monthly amounts would vary and the server already cost $8,000 a month to begin with. Rolling Stone reported a higher amount, as much as $30,000 a month.
"How it started was I was having sex with this girl who was engaged to this kind of semifamous band guy, and all my friends wanted to see her naked because she was so cute," Moore told Rolling Stone. When he posted the photos on a domain and got a ton of page views, he thought, "Holy shit, I could make money doing this."
Moore and Evens could face up to five years in federal prison for each of the conspiracy and computer hacking counts. In addition, if convicted of the aggravated identity theft charge, there's a mandatory two-year sentence to run consecutive to any other sentence they get.
Moore's last tweet before he was arrested referenced the other big story of the day:
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist