Reported by Kerry Howard Mwesigwa
A young British man, Joseph James O’Connor, also known as PlugwalkJoe, recently pleaded guilty in a New York court to charges related to a major social media hack that took place in July 2020. The attack targeted over 130 Twitter accounts, including those belonging to high-profile individuals such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Kim Kardashian, and resulted in the theft of over $115,000 in crypto currency.
O’Connor, who was extradited from Spain to face the charges, faces a maximum sentence of over 70 years in prison. According to the US Department of Justice, O’Connor used his sophisticated technological abilities to conduct various cyber-crimes, including stealing large amounts of crypto currency, hacking social media accounts, and cyber stalking two victims, one of whom was a minor.
The hackers reportedly used social engineering techniques to gain access to the targeted Twitter accounts and sent out tweets asking followers to send bitcoin to an account, promising to double their money. O’Connor’s guilty plea also included charges related to gaining access to a high-profile TikTok account.
O’Connor was charged alongside three other individuals, including Mason Sheppard of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and two Americans, Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazeli. Sheppard was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer. During the court proceedings, the Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. described O’Connor’s criminal activities as “flagrant and malicious” and stated that his conduct “impacted multiple people’s lives” and caused substantial emotional harm to his victims. He also noted that O’Connor attempted to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases to remain anonymous, but that investigators and prosecutors would identify, locate, and bring such criminals to justice.
