The US attorney’s office has sentenced Joseph James O’Connor, a British man, to five years in prison for his involvement in hacking schemes targeting Twitter accounts of celebrities, as reported by the Guardian. The severity of O’Connor’s actions was emphasized by US authorities when announcing the verdict on Friday.
O’Connor confessed to being part of a hacking group that successfully compromised more than 130 Twitter accounts and used them to promote a Bitcoin scam. The victims included prominent figures such as Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Bill Gates, and former US President Barack Obama. In addition, O’Connor pleaded guilty to stealing around $794,000 in virtual currency from a cryptocurrency company based in New York.
The arrest of O’Connor occurred nearly two years ago in Spain following the hacking incident in July 2020. After extradition proceedings, he was brought to the United States in April to face the charges against him.
The charges against O’Connor included conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and stalking of two victims, among others. The most serious charge could have resulted in a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years.
In addition to the prison term, O’Connor has been ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution of $794,000. His criminal activities had a significant impact as he harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm.
Kenneth A Polite Jr, an assistant attorney general in the US justice department’s criminal division, highlighted the blatant and malicious nature of O’Connor’s actions, noting his attempts to remain anonymous by using computers, stealth accounts, and aliases outside the United States.
The case also involves two other individuals facing federal charges related to the hacking incident: Nima Fazeli from Florida and Mason Sheppard from Bognor Regis in the UK, both implicated in the cybercrimes.
Furthermore, Graham Ivan Clark, a teenager from Florida believed to be the mastermind behind the hacking group, was sentenced to three years in juvenile prison in July 2021, as permitted under state law.
The series of attacks on Twitter in July 2020 caused significant disruption, leading the social media company to take unprecedented measures, including temporarily halting all verified accounts from tweeting. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of high-profile individuals and organizations to cybercrimes, emphasizing the need for increased cybersecurity measures and robust safeguards to prevent future attacks.
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