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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Joseph James O’Connor, known online as “PlugwalkJoe,” pleaded guilty in the United States on May 9, 2023, to cybercrime offenses that included a role in the July 2020 Twitter hack. His plea also covered separate social-media intrusions, cyberstalking and threats, and a distinct SIM-swap cryptocurrency theft and laundering scheme. On June 23, 2023, he was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Who pleaded guilty, and when?
O’Connor, a U.K. citizen also known as PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff on May 9, 2023. He had been extradited from Spain on April 26, 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Justice announcement.
The pleas covered charges brought in two federal districts: Northern District of California charges related to social-media intrusions and cyberstalking, and Southern District of New York charges tied to cryptocurrency theft and laundering.
What was his connection to the July 2020 Twitter hack?
O’Connor admitted a role in the July 2020 Twitter hack as part of the California charges. The Justice Department’s account connects him to the incident; it does not say he alone carried out the entire attack.
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Agence France-Presse reported that more than 130 Twitter accounts were hijacked in the broader incident. That figure describes the scale of the attack overall, not the number of accounts O’Connor personally compromised. See the AFP report syndicated by SecurityWeek.
What other conduct did the plea cover?
TikTok and Snapchat intrusions
The California case also covered intrusions connected with takeovers of TikTok and Snapchat accounts. These were separate conduct within the group of cybercrime offenses, rather than part of the Twitter incident itself.
Cyberstalking and threats
O’Connor pleaded guilty to offenses involving cyberstalking two victims. The case announcement also lists extortion, stalking and threatening-communication offenses among the conduct covered by the pleas.
A separate SIM-swap cryptocurrency scheme
The New York charges concerned a separate scheme in 2019. O’Connor and co-conspirators targeted at least three executives with SIM swaps, gained access to company accounts and systems, and diverted cryptocurrency from wallets maintained for two clients of a Manhattan-based company. The Justice Department valued the stolen cryptocurrency at approximately $794,000 at the time of the theft.
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A SIM swap links a victim’s phone number to a SIM card controlled by someone else, redirecting calls and text messages to an unauthorized device. The attacker may then try to use the number to access accounts registered to it. This explains the method at a high level; it is distinct from the Twitter hack.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What sentence did O’Connor receive?
On June 23, 2023, O’Connor was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered him to forfeit $794,012.64, as stated in the Justice Department’s sentencing announcement.
The forfeiture order is an exact court-ordered amount; it is not interchangeable with the approximately $794,000 valuation of the cryptocurrency at the time it was stolen.
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