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Investing.com -- A man convicted for a 2020 Twitter hack that compromised accounts of high-profile figures has been ordered to repay 4.1 million pounds ($5.40 million) worth of Bitcoin, British prosecutors said Monday.
Joseph James O’Connor, 26, pleaded guilty in the United States to charges including computer intrusion, wire fraud and extortion. He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2023.
O’Connor was arrested in Spain in 2021 and extradited after Spain’s High Court ruled the U.S. was best positioned to prosecute because the evidence and victims were located there.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service obtained a civil recovery order to seize 42 Bitcoin and other crypto assets linked to the scam, which involved using hijacked accounts to solicit digital currency and threaten 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.
The order, made last week, follows a property freezing order secured during extradition proceedings. The assets will be liquidated by a court-appointed trustee.
The July 2020 attack compromised accounts of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former President Barack Obama, and others including Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.
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