Eric Saldarriaga, a New York City-based private investigator, was sentenced to three months in prison after he hired hackers to assist in his work.
Saldarriaga apparently hired the hackers to access the email accounts of nearly 50 victims, and in more than one case, he attempted to gain access to multiple email accounts for a specific individual, the FBI wrote in a press release.
The victims were either individuals who Saldarriaga was investigating for clients or in whom he was personally interested.
By paying the hacking service, he received login credentials for the email accounts, which he used to unlawfully access and review communications.
Saldarriaga also received three years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $5,000 and pay a $1,000 fine.
The investigator pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer hacking in March.
