UK Man Joseph James O'Connor Ordered to Repay $5.4 Million After Conviction for 2020 Bitcoin Scam via Twitter Account Hacks
Joseph James O'Connor, a British man, was convicted in 2023 for orchestrating a 2020 SIM-swapping attack that hijacked multiple celebrity and brand Twitter/X accounts to promote a Bitcoin scam. The theft involved roughly 42 BTC, 235 ETH, and 143,000 BUSD—Binance's now-depreciated stablecoin—with a value of about $794,000 at the time.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison by a judge in the Southern District of New York. Additionally, the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued a civil recovery order demanding repayment of the proceeds, which are currently valued at approximately £4.1 million (around $5.4 million) in cryptocurrency.
This civil recovery includes roughly 235 ETH, 42 BTC, and 143,000 BUSD. The CPS highlighted that this case demonstrates the capability to recover criminal proceeds in the UK even when the offender has not been convicted domestically. Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Proceeds of Crime Division, emphasized that authorities utilized their full powers to ensure the individual does not benefit from their crime.
The incident underscores the ongoing risk of crypto scams that exploit hacked social media profiles, where victims are often lured into making small Bitcoin transfers with promises of larger returns. According to Chainalysis, over $2.1 billion has been stolen in crypto crimes so far in 2025, with a growing portion attributed to compromises of personal wallets.
