A British man convicted of a 2020 Twitter hack targeting high-profile figures, including former President Obama, has been ordered to repay $5.4 million in Bitcoin.
Joseph James O’Connor, a 26-year-old British citizen convicted over a 2020 Twitter hack that targeted high-profile figures including former U.S. President Barack Obama, has been ordered to repay 4.1 million pounds ($5.40 million) in Bitcoin, according to a report from REUTERS.
O’Connor pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of computer intrusion, wire fraud, and extortion and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2023. He was arrested in Spain in 2021 and extradited to the U.S. after the Spanish High Court ruled that the evidence and victims were primarily in America.
The CPS said it obtained a civil recovery order to seize 42 Bitcoin and other crypto assets linked to the scam, which involved hijacked accounts soliciting digital currency and threatening celebrities.
“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,” prosecutor Adrian Foster said in a statement.
The July 2020 attack compromised accounts of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Obama, and others, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Kim Kardashian, prompting Twitter, now called X, to temporarily restrict verified accounts. The assets will be liquidated by a court-appointed trustee, prosecutors said.