Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft and Wire Fraud

BOSTON - An Illinois man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to phishing the Snapchat access codes of nearly 600 women in an effort to hack their Snapchat accounts and steal nude photos, which he kept, sold, or traded on the internet.

Kyle Svara, 27, of Oswego, Ill., pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and false statements related to child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for May 18, 2026. Svara was charged in December 2025.

From at least May 2020 to February 2021, Svara used social engineering and other resources to collect victim emails, phone numbers and/or Snapchat usernames. He used those means of identification to access victim Snapchat accounts, which prompted Snap Inc. to send account security codes to victims. Using anonymized phone numbers, Svara posed as a representative of Snap Inc. and texted more than 4,500 victims requesting those Snapchat access codes. When approximately 570 women provided those codes, Svara accessed the Snapchat accounts of at least 59 women without permission and downloaded their nude or semi-nude images. Once he had the stolen images, Svara sold or traded them on internet forums or in transactions with others who had hired him to hack the Snapchat accounts. Svara advertised on internet forums like Reddit that he could "get into girls snap accounts" for others and provide content "for you or trade."

One of Svara's co-conspirators, Steve Waithe, a former Track and Field Coach at Northeastern University hired and paid Svara to hack the Snapchat accounts of women Waithe coached or had other relationships with. In November 2023, Waithe was convicted in federal court in Boston 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 March 2024, Waithe was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

In addition to the women Waithe and others hired Svara to hack, Svara also targeted women who resided in or around the area of Plainfield, Ill. or who were students at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

When Svara was interviewed by investigators, he falsely stated that he did not know anything about hacking Snapchat. Additionally, he falsely stated that had no interest in child pornography and had never actively sought out or accessed child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Contrary to these statements, the defendant collected, distributed and solicited CSAM.

Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this case or have any relevant information related to this case are requested to please fill out the attached form to be contacted by a member of law enforcement: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/snaphackvictimsLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.

The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a sentence of at least two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for 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. The charges of computer fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago and the Oswego Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.