Israeli sentenced to 14 months in jail for hacking Madonna
Tel Aviv court convicts Adi Lederman for cyber crimes against pop singer.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBUpdated: JULY 10, 2015 03:59Madonna arrives at the 57th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hacking and leaking Madonna’s unreleased recordings online does not pay, as Adi Lederman learned upon receiving a 14-month jail sentence from the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Thursday as part of a plea-bargain deal following his conviction for cyber crimes against the pop singer.The full wrath of Israeli and US authorities, including the FBI, came down on Lederman for charges of computer trespassing, fraud, and intellectual property offenses against the superstar, who has come to Israel on several tours and is a known follower of Kabbala.Last December, a series of demos from Madonna’s album-in-progress, Rebel Heart, were leaked online. Following the breach, which originated in files belonging to people working with the singer, Madonna released six tracks and moved up the release date of the full album to March.“I have been violated as a human and an artist!” Madonna wrote on Instagram following the hack.Lederman was fined NIS 15,000 by the court, which said its sentence should “send a message of deterrence” and uncompromising commitment to the law to others like Lederman.The sentence was more lenient than it might have been, in light of the fact that Lederman suffers from some medical issues, as well out of concern that a full trial could lead to unintentional further exposure of Madonna’s personal details and those of people working with her.The now-convicted hacker was arrested in late January, and was previously bestknown for auditioning on air in 2012 for the Israeli TV show Kochav Nolad (“A Star is Born”), Israel’s version of American Idol.
