Michaela
Joseph James O’Connor, the hacker behind a high-profile 2020 Twitter breach targeting figures including Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos, has been ordered to forfeit more than £4 million (over $5 million) in cryptocurrency after the value of his stolen assets increased while he was incarcerated.
Key Points
- The Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Proceeds of Crime Division announced it secured a Civil Recovery Order to reclaim 42 Bitcoin and additional cryptocurrency linked to O’Connor’s scheme
- The CPS coordinated with authorities in the United States and Spain to ensure the order could be enforced, preventing O’Connor from concealing these assets from law enforcement
In 2023, O’Connor was sentenced to prison in the United States for orchestrating a 2020 Bitcoin scam and compromising the Twitter accounts of high-profile figures, including Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Kim Kardashian, Elon Musk, as well as other world leaders, tech executives, and major brands, while threatening to release private messages and images.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Proceeds of Crime Division announced it secured a Civil Recovery Order to reclaim 42 Bitcoin and additional cryptocurrency linked to O’Connor’s scheme. The CPS coordinated with authorities in the United States and Spain to ensure the order could be enforced, preventing O’Connor from concealing these assets from law enforcement.
“Joseph James O’Connor targeted well known individuals and used their accounts to scam people out of their crypto assets and money,” Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division, stated. “We were able to use the full force of the powers available to us to ensure that even when someone is not convicted in the UK, we are still able to ensure they do not benefit from their criminality,” he added.
Related: British Hacker Danny Khan Suspected Caught in Dubai With $18.5M Crypto
Since O’Connor’s 2020 Twitter breach, Bitcoin’s value has surged dramatically. According to CoinMarketCap data, with the cryptocurrency now trading at $90,872, nearly ten times its mid-2020 price, the stolen holdings have grown to over £4.1 million.
The 2020 Twitter breach is considered one of the largest security failures in social media history. At the height of the attack, X, then Twitter, temporarily restricted access to verified accounts as the scam rapidly spread across a user base exceeding 350 million.
Related: Matt Hougan Says Strategy Isn’t at Risk of Forced Selling Bitcoin
Subsequent investigations revealed that two British individuals had unknowingly opened cryptocurrency accounts exploited by O’Connor to facilitate the scheme, though authorities confirmed they were not complicit in the fraud. The breach exposed vulnerabilities in social media security protocols and prompted widespread scrutiny of platform safeguards for high-profile accounts.
MICHAELA
Michaela is a news writer focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain topics. She prioritizes rigorous research and accuracy to uncover interesting angles and ensure engaging reporting. A lifelong book lover, she applies her passion for reading to deeply explore the constantly evolving crypto world.
