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Former Va. teacher 5th person charged in ‘celebgate’

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia high school teacher is the fifth person charged in an investigation into the 2014 “celebgate” scandal in which hackers obtained nude photographs and other private information from more than 200 people, including celebrities.

Documents filed in federal court show that Christopher Brannan, a former teacher at suburban Richmond’s Lee-Davis High School, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft and unauthorized access to a protected computer.

A hearing is scheduled Monday in Richmond.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, confirmed that Brennan is charged in the “celebgate” investigation.

Mrozek would not release the names of the celebrities. But at the time, actress Jennifer Lawrence acknowledged that she was a victim of the hack.

Mrozek said prosecutors have linked Brannan to the hacking, but not to the leak of nude photographs in 2014.

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