UK prosecutors order 2020 Twitter hack mastermind to surrender $5.4M in Bitcoin

UK prosecutors on Monday announced a British man linked to a massive 2020 Twitter hack is being forced to hand over millions in Bitcoin. Joseph James O’Connor, 26, has been ordered to repay £4.1 million ($5.4 million) in crypto tied to the scheme. The infamous Twitter breach saw the accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and other global figures hijacked.

O’Connor, now 26, pleaded guilty in the United States last year to multiple charges. This included computer intrusion, wire fraud, extortion, and cyberstalking. However, he is serving a five-year prison sentence.

He was arrested in Spain in 2021 and later extradited after the country’s High Court ruled that US authorities were best placed to prosecute the case, given the location of the victims and evidence.

UK seizes 42 BTC from hacker

According to reports, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it secured a civil recovery order last week. The authority will seize 42 Bitcoins and other crypto assets tied to O’Connor’s role in the scheme. It added that the assets frozen during the extradition process will be sold by a court-appointed trustee.

The Chief Crown Prosecutor mentioned that the authority was reportedly able to use the full force of the powers available in order to ensure that even when someone is not convicted in the UK, they do not profit from their criminality.

The major judgment comes as the global crypto market is dealing with selling pressure while printing red indexes. Bitcoin price has dropped by more than 10% over the past 7 days. BTC is trading at an average price of $95,253 at press time. Its 24-hour trading volume spiked by 51% to hit $72 billion. Bitcoin was trading around $9k-$10k range when the hack took place.

Inside the Obama Twitter meltdown

The July 2020 Twitter hack affected over 130 high-profile accounts, including names like Barack Obama, Joe Biden (then a presidential candidate), Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Kim Kardashian, Apple and Uber.

During the attack, the hijacked accounts pushed out near-identical messages that urged users to send Bitcoin to a specific address. It also promised to double the amounts received. The scam generated more than $100,000 in minutes.

At the time, Twitter (now X) temporarily locked down verified accounts to stem the damage. However, it triggered concerns about the security of the information platform in an election year, even though cybersecurity experts conceded that the attackers’ motives could have been far more destructive.

O’Connor’s charges extend beyond the Twitter breach. He was also accused of hijacking TikTok and Snapchat accounts and cyberstalking a juvenile victim.

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