Briton pleads guilty to New York Twitter hack

Joseph James O'Connor was arrested by Spanish police in April. Credit: Reuters

A Briton extradited to New York from Spain last month pleaded guilty to cyber-stalking and computer hacking schemes, including the 2020 Twitter hack.

To 23-year-old Joseph James A'Connor was charged in both North Dakota and New York. The North Dakota case was referred to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Mr. O'Connor pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, wire fraud and money laundering.

He will also forfeit over $794,000 and will compensate the victims, prosecutors said. At the time of sentencing on June 23, he faces up to 77 years in prison.

"O'Connor's criminal activities were egregious and malicious, and his behavior affected the lives of many people. He harassed, threatened and extorted his victims, causing significant emotional harm,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite said in a statement.

Prosecutors said the schemes included gaining unauthorized access to social media accounts on Twitter in July 2020. as well as a TikTok account in August 2020. Together with his accomplices, Mr. O'Connor allegedly stole at least $794,000 worth of cryptocurrencies.

The July 2020 Twitter attack resulted in the hijacking of numerous verified accounts. , including then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk, who now owns Twitter.

Former President Barack Obama's accounts, reality TV stars Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and Kanye West were also affected.

A hacker used accounts to obtain digital currency, prompting Twitter to ban some verified accounts from posting for hours until security will be restored. .