**ILLINOIS MAN CHARGED IN SNAPCHAT HACKING SCHEME**

An Illinois man has been charged with hacking into nearly 600 women's Snapchat accounts, stealing nude photos, and selling or trading them online.

Kyle Svara, 26, of Oswego, Ill., was arrested on federal charges related to phishing, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and false statements related to child pornography. The defendant is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Boston on February 4, 2026.

According to the charging documents, Svara used social engineering tactics and other resources to collect email addresses, phone numbers, and Snapchat usernames of nearly 600 women between May 2020 and February 2021. He allegedly used this information to access their Snapchat accounts, prompting Snap Inc. to send security codes to the victims.

Using anonymized phone numbers, Svara posed as a representative of Snap Inc. and texted over 4,500 victims requesting their Snapchat security codes. When approximately 570 women provided the codes, Svara allegedly accessed the accounts of at least 59 women without permission and downloaded their nude or semi-nude images.

It is alleged that Svara sold or traded these stolen images on online forums or in transactions with others who had hired him to hack Snapchat accounts. He even advertised his services on Reddit, claiming he could "get into girls' snap accounts" for a fee and provide content for clients or trade it with them.

Svara's co-conspirator, Steve Waithe, a former Track and Field Coach at Northeastern University, allegedly hired Svara to hack the Snapchat accounts of women he coached or had relationships with. In November 2023, Waithe was convicted of wire fraud, cyberstalking, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and computer fraud. He was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release in March 2024.

In addition to the women who were hired to be hacked, Svara allegedly targeted women living in Plainfield, Ill., or students at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

The FBI is urging anyone who may have been a victim of this case or has relevant information to contact them using the attached form: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/snaphackvictims

**CHARGES AND POTENTIAL SENTENCES**

Svara is charged with aggravated identity theft, which carries a sentence of no less than two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. He is also charged with wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and false statements related to child pornography.

The charges of wire fraud provide 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.

Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes governing the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

**ASSISTANCE FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT**

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago, and the Oswego Police Department provided valuable assistance in this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States Attorney's Office.

**DEFENDANT'S STATUS**

The details contained in the charging document are allegations, and Svara is presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.