2 Men Charged with Hacking Social Media Accounts of NFL, NBA Players

Two men have been charged with wire fraud conspiracy and computer fraud conspiracy in federal court for allegedly gaining access to social media accounts of two NFL players and one NBA player, according to David Porter of the Associated Press. 

Trevontae Washington, 21, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, is alleged to have obtained and sold login information for multiple pro athletes while Ronnie Magrehbi, 20, of Orlando, Florida, is charged with obtaining an NFL player's email and Instagram account login in an extortion plot. 

The two crimes are not connected, according to Porter. 

The names of the athletes involved in the schemes have not been disclosed. However, all of the athletes who were victims of the scheme resided in New Jersey at the time of the alleged crimes, which date back to 2018. 

Magrehbi allegedly attempted to extort money from an NFL player with threats of publishing explicit photos and eventually elicited a $500 payment in 2018. The Florida native then posted explicit pictures and demanded an additional $2,500 to prevent the release of any further images. 

Meanwhile, Washington used a phishing scam to gain login information, which he then sold to undisclosed buyers. He told investigators he sold access to the accounts for between $500 and $1,000. 

Magrehbi and Washington are each facing charges in their home states. The wire fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while computer fraud carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.