$794K SIM swap hacker PlugwalkJoe sentenced to five years in prison
BritishHacker Joseph O’Connor, also known online as PlugwalkJoe, has been sentenced to five years in U.S. prison for his role in stealing $794,000 worth of cryptocurrency via a SIM swap attack on a crypto exchange executive back in April 2019.
O’Connor was initially arrested in Spain in July 2021 and was extradited to the U.S. on April 26, 2023. In May he pled guilty to a slew of charges relating to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, to name a few.
plugwalkjoe is getting his sentence in 5 days, so it’s time to bring this gem back pic.twitter.com/OOBqD2FaFA
The prison sentence was highlighted in a June 23 statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York.
“In addition to the prison term, O’Connor was sentenced to three years of supervised release. O’Connor was further ordered to pay $794,012.64 in forfeiture,” the statement reads.
The hacked crypto exec has not been named, however after SIM swapping them, O’Connor gained unauthorized access to accounts and computing systems belonging to the exchange that the exec worked at.
“Ultimately, a portion of the stolen cryptocurrency was deposited into a cryptocurrency exchange account controlled by O’Connor,” the statement adds.
O’Connor’s sentence also covers offenses relating to the major Twitter hack of July 2020, which ultimately fetched him and his crew around $120,000 worth of ill-gotten crypto gains.
1/ Time for a story that combines the craziness of crypto, the perils of hacking, and the consequences of shady actions. Buckle up as we explore the case of Joseph James O'Connor, aka PlugwalkJoe, the mastermind behind the infamous Twitter hack of July 2020!#Crypto
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