A British citizen pleaded guilty on Tuesday to US computer hacking charges, including a 2020 attack on Twitter that took over dozens of celebrity accounts to solicit more than $115,000 in cryptocurrency.
Joseph James O’Connor, known online as PlugwalkJoe, was extradited from Spain to the US on April 26.
“O’Connor used his sophisticated technological abilities . . . to steal large amounts of cryptocurrency, hacking Twitter, conducting computer intrusions to take over social media accounts and even cyberstalking two victims, including a minor,” said US attorney Damian Williams.
He gained unauthorised access to Twitter accounts including those of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Kanye West and Elon Musk. O’Connor, 23, was arrested on the Costa del Sol in 2021.