A man who hacked into Scarlett Johansson's private computer files and leaked nude photos of the actress online has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Christopher Chaney, 35, from Florida, was arrested in connection with the scandal and charged with 25 counts of identity theft last year (11).

It is believed he accessed the private email and phone accounts of a string of celebrities, including Johansson, Christina Aguilera and Mila Kunis.

He pleaded guilty to nine cyber hacking-related felonies in March (12) and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a Los Angeles court on Monday (17Dec12).

U.S. District Judge S. James Otero passed down the sentence after watching a videotaped statement from a tearful Johansson.

He told the defendant, "It's hard to fathom the mindset of a person who would accomplish all of this. These types of crimes are as pernicious and serious as physical stalking."

Chaney hacked into Johnasson's private accounts and stole naked pictures of the actress intended for her then-husband Ryan Reynolds, before publishing the images on the Internet.