Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jul 27, 2024

Twitter Celebrity Hacker Pleads Guilty In US

Twitter Celebrity Hacker Pleads Guilty In US

Joseph James O'Connor, 23, entered his guilty plea in a New York court after being extradited from Spain on April 26.
A British man pleaded guilty Tuesday for his role in schemes to hack the Twitter accounts of celebrities like Barack Obama and Elon Musk and stealing $794,000 in cryptocurrency.

Joseph James O'Connor, 23, entered his guilty plea in a New York court after being extradited from Spain on April 26.

He was arrested nearly two years ago in Spain for the July 2020 hack of over 130 Twitter accounts, including those of Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Bill Gates, Joe Biden, Obama and Musk.

He and others in his hacking group hijacked the accounts and asked the owners' followers to send them bitcoin, promising to double their money.

In 2019 the group also used a technique known as sim card swaps to break their way into social media accounts of two media stars, not named in court filings but named in press reports as TikTok star Addison Rae and actress Bella Thorne.

The group threatened to release their private images and other information.

In addition, they used the same technique to steal $794,000 of virtual currency from a New York cryptocurrency company.

O'Connor, who went by the online name of PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of computer intrusion, extortion, stalking, wire fraud and money laundering.

The most serious of the charges brings up to 20 years in prison.

In July 2021, Florida teenager Graham Ivan Clark, the alleged mastermind of the hacking group, was sentenced to three years in juvenile prison under a plea agreement.

Clark, only 17 when he was charged, was sentenced to the maximum allowed under Florida's Youthful Offender Act.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Heatwave in Morocco Claims 21 Lives in Beni Mellal
Israel Warns France of Iranian Threats at Paris Olympics
Hamas and Fatah Sign Unity Pact Amid Gaza Conflict
Miracle Baby Born After Gaza Airstrike
Netanyahu Urges Unity Between US and Israel in Congress Speech
Netanyahu Criticizes Anti-Israel Protesters in US
World's Hottest Day Recorded on July 21
Sri Lanka Apologizes for Forced Cremation of Muslim Covid Victims
President Biden Returns to White House After Testing COVID Negative
Trump Says Kamala Harris Would Be Easier Election Opponent Than Biden
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northwestern Turkey
Hacking Vulnerabilities: Androids vs. iPhones
Israel Conducts First Direct Air Raid on Yemen's Hodeidah Port
Joe Biden Withdraws from 2024 US Presidential Race
A Week of Turmoil: Key Moments in US Politics
Elon Musk's Companies Drop CrowdStrike After Global Windows 10 Outage
US Criticizes International Court's Opinion on Israeli Occupation
Netanyahu Denounces World Court Ruling on Israeli Occupation
Adidas Drops Bella Hadid Over Controversy
Massive Flight Cancellations Across the U.S. Due to Microsoft Outage
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Using Chemical Weapons
Ursula von der Leyen Wins Second Term as European Commission President
Japan to Allocate $3.3 Billion to Ukraine Using Frozen Russian Assets
Google and Microsoft Now Consume More Power Than Several Large Countries
Increased Security for Trump After Assassination Threat
New AI Chipset Set to Revolutionize ChatGPT
Thai-Saudi Investment Roadshow Yields 100 Partnerships
Trump Media Shares Surge Following Re-Election Bid Boost
Russia's Electronic Warfare Neutralizes Western Weapons in Ukraine
Trump Challenges Biden to Debate and Golf Match
Macron Accuses Israeli Minister of Election Interference
US Senator Highlights Weaknesses in Western Military Industry During Ukraine Conflict
George Clooney Urges Biden to Withdraw from Presidential Race
Political Shift in the UK: A Detailed Analysis of Labour's Victory and Future Prospects
Viktor Orbán's Peace Mission: A Diplomatic Controversy in the EU
UAE Court Sentences 43 to Life Imprisonment Over Terrorist Links
Spain PM Pedro Sanchez Denounces Double Standards on Gaza at NATO Summit
Biden Affirms Commitment To Presidential Race
Putin Hosts PM Modi for a Private Meeting
2024 Predicted to Be World's Hottest Year
Iran's President-Elect Masoud Pezeshkian Reiterates Support for Hezbollah
Biden Insists on Continuing Presidential Race Amid Criticism
Macron Faces New Political Challenges Despite Election Relief
US Officials Resign Over Biden's Gaza Policy
Campaigners Push for Emergency Uplift Visa for Palestinians Escaping Gaza Conflict
Netanyahu Criticizes Release of Gaza Hospital Head
UK Government and British Airways Sued Over 1990 Kuwait Hostage Incident
Afghan Women's Rights Declared Internal Issue by Taliban
UK Appeals to ICC May Delay Arrest Warrants for Israeli Leaders
ZATCA Allows Non-citizens to Participate in Auctions
×