The man who hacked into the email accounts of more than 100 women to steal nude photos and videos has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Ryan Collins, 36, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, plead guilty in May to gaining access to at least 50 Apple iCloud and 72 Gmail accounts between November 2012 and September 2014.

Many accounts belonged to female celebrities such as actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst and Kate Upton whose nude photographs were released online in what became known as "The Fappening".

Female celebrities affected by 'The Fappening' hack Show all 5 1 /5 Female celebrities affected by 'The Fappening' hack Female celebrities affected by 'The Fappening' hack Jennifer Lawrence attends the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. Female celebrities affected by 'The Fappening' hack Ariane Grande < > at SiriusXM Studio on March 14, 2016 in New York City. Female celebrities affected by 'The Fappening' hack Victoria Justice attends Delta Air Lines Toasts GRAMMY Weekend with "Sites and Sounds," A Private Performance and Interactive Evening with GRAMMY Nominated Artist Leon Bridges, at NeueHouse Hollywood on February 12, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Female celebrities affected by 'The Fappening' hack Kirsten Dunst attends the screening of "Midnight Special" during the 2016 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Paramount Theatre on March 12, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Female celebrities affected by 'The Fappening' hack Kate Upton

Collins sent fake emails that appeared to be from Apple or Google to encourage his victims to unknowningly hand over their usernames and passwords.

The process, known as "phishing," allowed collins to hack into private email accounts and steal personal information, including nude photos and videos.

"In some instances, Collins would use a software program to download the entire contents of the victims' Apple iCloud backups," the Pennsylvania US Attorney's Office said in a statement.

"In addition, Collins ran a modeling scam in which he tricked his victims into sending him nude photographs."

However, the attorney's office noted that investigators have not uncovered any evidence Collins uploaded or shared the information and images or that he was linked to the actual leaks.

Reddit attempts to ban The Fappening

Collins was the first person arrested in connection with the security breach.

A second man, Edward Majerczyk, 29, plead guilty to the same charge in September and is due to be sentenced in January. He faces up to five years in prison.