A US embassy worker has pleaded guilty to stalking, hacking and extorting nude photos from a string of college women.
Michael Ford, 36, targeted amateur models and sorority girls from US colleges by using phishing tactics to gain access to their online accounts.
He is guilty of 17 charges, including one count of wire fraud, seven counts of computer hacking to extort, and nine counts of cyberstalking.
Ford tricked his victims into sending him their email passwords by pretending to be tech support from their email provider, claiming he was from the "account deletion team" and that their accounts were about to be closed.
After obtaining their credentials, Ford then scoured their emails and social media accounts looking for nude pictures.
He also sought out personal information about his victims, using it to blackmail the women into furnishing him with explicit pictures and videos. "Don't worry", he wrote sarcastically in one email, "it's not like I know where you live".
Along with pictures of themselves, Ford also tried to coerce the women into compromising other victims, the federal court in Atlanta heard.
According to an affidavit filed as part of the case, Ford said in one email to a victim: "I want you to video girls in the changing room" of her gym, and threatened to release her nude pictures online when she refused.
He also warned victims that he would send their explicit photos to friends and family members if they did not comply.
According to FBI Special Agent J. Britt Johnson "the allegations... portray an individual consumed with sexually themed cyber-stalking and exploitation as well as an individual who felt he was beyond detection and grasp of authorities".
"With nothing more than a computer and a few keystrokes, modern predators like Michael Ford can victimize hundreds of people around the world," Assistant Attorney General Caldwell said. "While this criminal prosecution may never return the victims' sense of security, I hope that today's guilty plea brings them some peace of mind."
The extortions started in January 2013, and did not end until May this year, over which time Ford hacked the accounts of at least 200 women, and read through over 1,300 private emails.
Ford orchestrated the hacks from a government-issued workstation at the American embassy in London, where Ford was employed since 2009 - he now no longer works there.
The combined maximum jail sentence for the full list of charges amounts to more than 100 years, while the maximum fine is over 2.8 million.
Ford's sentencing is scheduled for 16 February 2016.
