Oswego man pleads guilty to phishing Snapchat accounts, selling stolen nude photos: officials

BOSTON - An Oswego man pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud charges after allegedly phishing Snapchat accounts of nearly 600 women to gain access to nude photos and sell them on the internet, according to the United States' Attorney.

What we know:

Kyle Svara, 27, of Oswego, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and false statements related to child pornography in federal court on Thursday.

According to federal court, Svara collected victim emails, phone numbers, and Snapchat usernames from at least May 2020 to February 2021. Svara allegedly posed as a Snap Inc. representative and texted more than 4,500 victims requesting Snapchat access codes. About 570 women provided the codes and Svara gained access to at least 59 women's accounts and downloaded their nude or semi-nude images. Then Svara allegedly sold and traded the images on internet forums or through hired transactions. Svara also targeted women who lived in and around the Plainfield area or went to Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

One of his co-conspirators was Steve Waithe, a former track and field coach at Northeastern University. Waithe hired and paid Svara to hac Snapchat accounts of women that Waithe coached or had other relationships with. Waithe was convicted in federal court of 12 counts of wire fraud, one count of cyberstalking, one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and one count of computer fraud, aiding and abetting in November 2023. Waithe was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release in March 2024.

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According to investigators, Svara falsely stated that he did not know anything about hacking Snapchat nor did he have an interest in child pornography and had never sought out or accessed child sexual abuse material. Svara was found with collecting, distributing and soliciting child sexual abuse material, according to officials.

What's next:

Aggravated identity theft charges come with at least two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Wire fraud charges come with a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain/loss from the offense. Computer fraud and conspiracy charges come with a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. False statements charges come with a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 

Svara's sentencing court date is scheduled for May 18.

What you can do:

Anyone who believes they are a victim of this case or has more information should fill out a form to be contacted by law enforcement.