In a significant victory against cybercrime, Joseph James O'Connor, a U.K. citizen known by the moniker "PlugwalkJoe," has been sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in a wide range of cybercrimes. The sentencing follows O'Connor's extradition from Spain on April 26, 2023, to the United States and his subsequent guilty plea on May 9, 2023.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York divided the charges against O'Connor into two separate cases. The first, referred to as the SDNY Case, revolves around a fraudulent scheme in which O'Connor and his co-conspirators employed SIM swap attacks to steal approximately $794,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a Manhattan-based cryptocurrency company.
The culprits gained unauthorized access to the company's accounts and computer systems, subsequently laundering the stolen funds through numerous transfers and transactions. O'Connor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer hacking, wire fraud, and money laundering in relation to this case.
The second case, known as the NDCA Case, reveals O'Connor's involvement in various crimes centered on the exploitation of social media accounts, online extortion, and cyberstalking.
In July 2020, O'Connor participated in a conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to Twitter accounts, enabling the fraudulent transfer of control to unauthorized users and subsequent schemes to defraud other Twitter users. This included taking over celebrity Twitter accounts belonging to people such as Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Kim Kardashian, and asking their followers to send cryptocurrency to a specified wallet.
O'Connor also engaged in unauthorized access to a prominent TikTok account, leveraging it for self-promotion and making threats. Furthermore, O'Connor targeted a public figure's Snapchat account, acquiring sensitive materials and threatening to release them unless the victim complied with his demands. Additionally, O'Connor stalked and threatened a minor victim, orchestrating swatting attacks and making menacing calls to the victim's family members.
Having pleaded guilty in the NDCA Case to charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, computer intrusions, making extortive communications, stalking, and making threatening communications, O'Connor received a prison sentence of five years along with three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to forfeit $794,012.64.
This sentencing serves as a powerful reminder that cybercriminals will face severe consequences for their actions. It underlines the determination of law enforcement agencies to safeguard individuals and entities from the detrimental effects of cybercrime and highlights the importance of international cooperation in tackling such offenses.
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