Joseph James O’Connor is to be extradited to the USA where he will answer 14 charges, including allegations of membership of a criminal gang, illegal access to computer systems, internet fraud, money laundering and extortion.
However it is his alleged involvement in a 2020 hack in which the Twitter accounts of a number prominent figures were simultaneously hijacked and used to promote a cryptocurrency scam.
Just some of the public figures that were hacked include then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, as well as former president Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeff Bezos and Kanye West, among others.
The National Court said O’Connor, 23, is also suspected of hacking the Snapchat account of an unnamed public figure and threatening to publish naked pictures of the person unless given financial compensation.
O’Connor, from Liverpool, was arrested in July 2021 in the Spanish city of Estepona.
The Spanish government must still approve the decision, and O’Connor – also known as “Plugwalk Joe” – can appeal.
