US Snapchat hacking and sextortion prosecutions

In late July 2026 a federal court in Illinois sentenced Kyle Svara to 76 months in prison for a phishing operation that compromised more than 500 Snapchat accounts, allowing him to download and distribute nude images and child sexual‑abuse material. The judgment highlighted the Department of Justice’s focus on combating cyber‑fraud, sextortion, and the illicit trade of explicit content on social platforms.

A few days later, the same court sentenced Afeez Olatunji Adewale, a Nigerian national extradited to the United States, to five years for his role in a related sextortion scheme that led to a U.S. teenager’s death. The second sentencing underscored cross‑border cooperation in tackling online sexual exploitation and showed a broader pattern of U.S. authorities pursuing perpetrators of Snapchat‑based hacks and extortion.

Together, the two judgments illustrate a coordinated legal effort to address the growing threat of social‑media account compromises and the distribution of illicit material, reinforcing penalties for both domestic and internationally linked offenders.