Ethical Hacking News
UK prosecutors have secured a civil recovery order to seize £4.11 million ($5.39 million) in cryptocurrency from Joseph James O'Connor, the perpetrator of the 2020 Twitter mega-hack that compromised accounts belonging to high-profile individuals.
UK prosecutors have secured a civil recovery order to seize £4.11 million ($5.39 million) in cryptocurrency from Joseph James O'Connor, the perpetrator of the 2020 Twitter mega-hack.The operation marks a significant victory for the Crown Prosecution Service and demonstrates its commitment to tackling cybercrime and recovering proceeds of crime.O'Connor's activities will continue to evaporate despite him serving his five-year sentence in the US.The case highlights the effectiveness of civil proceeds-of-crime legislation, allowing UK authorities to seize illicit gains even when the underlying conviction took place abroad.
UK prosecutors have secured a significant win in their fight against cybercrime by obtaining a civil recovery order to seize £4.11 million ($5.39 million) in cryptocurrency from Joseph James O'Connor, the perpetrator of the 2020 Twitter mega-hack that compromised accounts belonging to high-profile individuals such as Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos.
The operation, which was carried out by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), marks a significant milestone in the UK's efforts to tackle cybercrime and recover proceeds of crime. The CPS has successfully recovered nearly £478 million through confiscation and compensation orders over the past five years, returning more than £95 million to victims.
The Twitter mega-hack, which occurred in July 2020, involved the use of hijacked celebrity accounts to solicit digital currency and threaten high-profile individuals. The group behind the intrusion used SIM-swapping and social engineering techniques to access internal Twitter tools, before pushing bogus messages urging followers to send Bitcoin to attacker-controlled wallets.
According to court documents, O'Connor's activities extended beyond the Bitcoin scam. He and his accomplices accessed private messages, extorted victims, and targeted celebrities with threats – all enabled by the compromised Twitter admin tools. His guilty plea covered not only the Twitter intrusion but also a broader pattern of SIM-swap offences and cryptocurrency theft.
The civil recovery order, which was granted on November 14, covers assets including 42.378 BTC, Ethereum, and various dollar-pegged stablecoins, collectively valued at around £4.11 million as of November 10. This means that even as O'Connor serves his five-year sentence in the US, the profits of his high-profile crypto caper will continue to evaporate.
"This case demonstrates that cybercriminals cannot insulate themselves by committing offenses outside the UK," said Adrian Foster, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division. "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."
The operation also highlights the effectiveness of civil proceeds-of-crime legislation, which allows UK authorities to seize illicit gains even when the underlying conviction took place abroad. The CPS has used this legislation to recover assets connected to various high-profile cybercrime cases in recent years.
O'Connor's activities were closely monitored by law enforcement agencies during his lengthy arrest process, which spanned multiple countries before he was extradited from Spain in 2023. His guilty plea covered not only the Twitter intrusion but also a broader pattern of SIM-swap offences and cryptocurrency theft.
The judgment marks a significant victory for the CPS and demonstrates its commitment to tackling cybercrime and recovering proceeds of crime. The operation serves as a reminder that cybercriminals can be brought to justice, even when they operate outside the UK's borders.
In addition to the £4.11 million in cryptocurrency, O'Connor will also forfeit $794,000 and pay restitution to victims as part of his sentence. His activities have had significant consequences for individuals and businesses alike, and it is only through concerted efforts by law enforcement agencies that such crimes can be effectively addressed.
Summary:
UK prosecutors have secured a civil recovery order to seize £4.11 million ($5.39 million) in cryptocurrency from Joseph James O'Connor, the perpetrator of the 2020 Twitter mega-hack that compromised accounts belonging to high-profile individuals. The operation marks a significant victory for the Crown Prosecution Service and demonstrates its commitment to tackling cybercrime and recovering proceeds of crime.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Reclaiming-Cybercrime-Proceeds-UK-Prosecutors-Clamp-Down-on-Twitter-Mega-Hack-Culprit-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/11/17/cps_41m_crypto_twitter/
Published: Mon Nov 17 06:22:51 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
