British hacker Joseph O'Connor, also known as PlugwalkJoe, has been sentenced to five years in a US prison for orchestrating a SIM-swapping attack in April 2019. O'Connor targeted cryptocurrency exchange executives, stealing approximately $79 4,000 worth of cryptocurrency. Arrest in Spain in July 2021, O'Connor was extradited to the United States on April 26, 2023. In May, he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, wire fraud, and money laundering.
The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York issued a statement on June 23, announcing O'Connor's custodial sentence. In addition to the five-year prison term, O'Connor will be under three years of supervised release. been ordered to pay $794,012.64 in forfeiture. The statement did not disclose the identity of the cryptocurrency exchange executive who was targeted. Through SIM card swapping, O'Connor gained unauthorized access to accounts and systems at the exchange.
Following the theft of cryptocurrency, O'Connor and his co-conspirators engaged in money laundering by transferring and converting the stolen funds, including converting some into bitcoin using cryptocurrency exchange services. Ultimately, a portion of the stolen cryptocurrency was deposited into a cryptocurrency exchange account controlled by O'Connor.
O'Connor's sentence also encompasses his involvement in the major Twitter hack of July 2020. In that incident, O'Connor and his team employed social engineering techniques and SIM-swapping attacks to hijack around 130 prominent Twitter accounts, as well as accounts on TikTok and Snapchat. The hackers used their control over these accounts to defraud other users and even sold access to them. O'Connor also engaged in blackmail, threatened victims, and planned physical assaults. Despite O'Connor's case occurring several years ago , SIM- Swapping attacks continue to pose a significant threat in the cryptocurrency industry. Recent incidents have highlighted the need for continued vigilance against this type of cybercrime.
