Man pleads guilty to accessing intimate images of victims through Snapchat accounts

Around The Valley, Latest News, Main March 4, 2026 Michael Yackovich is one of seven people charged with hacking. By PAULA REED WARD TribLive A West Newton man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to hacking into hundreds of individual Snapchat accounts, accessing intimate videos and images stored there and then trading them online. Michael Yackovich, 30, will be sentenced June 22 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft by Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon. A plea agreement calls for him to serve four years in federal prison to be followed by three years supervised release. Ryan Tutera, who represents Yackovich, said his client has taken responsibility for his actions and is looking to move forward. “He recognizes the harm he caused the victims,” Tutera said. Yackovich is one of seven people charged in the case. He is the first to plead guilty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Trabold told the judge on Tuesday that investigators identified 140 victims of the crime. An additional 151 people who are victims are unlikely to be identified, he said. Trabold spent several minutes during the plea hearing outlining the sophisticated nature of the conspiracy. According to investigators, the
Read More