Key Points:
- A UK man involved in the 2020 Twitter breach must repay £4.1 million ($5.4 million) in Bitcoin.
- Joseph James O’Connor pleaded guilty in the U.S. to hacking, fraud, and extortion charges.
- UK prosecutors seized 42 Bitcoin and other crypto assets linked to the scam.
UK Courts Seize Millions in Crypto From Twitter Hacker
A British man convicted in the United States for hacking dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts in 2020 has been ordered to repay £4.1 million ($5.4 million) worth of Bitcoin linked to the attack. Joseph James O’Connor, 26, was targeted under a civil recovery order issued by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which secured the seizure of 42 Bitcoin and additional digital assets tied to the scheme.
O’Connor pleaded guilty in the U.S. to computer intrusion, wire fraud, and extortion, receiving a five-year prison sentence in 2023. He was arrested in Spain in 2021 and later extradited after the country’s High Court determined the U.S. was better positioned to prosecute due to the location of victims and evidence.
The CPS said the crypto assets will be liquidated by a court-appointed trustee. Prosecutor Adrian Foster emphasized that the order demonstrates the UK’s ability to strip criminals of illicit gains even when the conviction occurs abroad. Authorities had previously secured a property freezing order during the extradition process, ensuring O’Connor could not transfer or conceal the funds.
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Details of the 2020 Twitter Breach and Related Crimes
The July 2020 hack remains one of the most disruptive breaches in the platform’s history. The attackers gained access to Twitter’s internal administrative tools after tricking employees through phone-based social engineering tactics. Posing as trusted insiders, they convinced staff to reveal login credentials that ultimately opened the door to the accounts of major public figures.
Compromised accounts included those of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Kim Kardashian. The hackers then used the profiles to promote a cryptocurrency scam, prompting Twitter—now rebranded as X—to temporarily lock down all verified accounts.
U.S. officials described O’Connor’s actions as both “flagrant and malicious.” According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr., the hacker not only exploited celebrity accounts but also engaged in additional offenses, including taking over a prominent TikTok account and stalking a minor. These activities significantly influenced the severity of his charges and eventual sentence.
Despite the scale of the attack, investigators found that the breach relied less on sophisticated malware and more on psychological manipulation. The perpetrators used convincing lies to persuade employees to hand over sensitive access credentials—a reminder of how social engineering continues to pose a major threat to even the largest tech companies.
With the civil recovery order now in place, UK authorities have ensured that O’Connor cannot profit from the scheme. The decision adds another chapter to one of the most notorious social-media security incidents of the past decade, underscoring the growing global reach of cybercrime enforcement.
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