Arrests made in connection with Twitter hack

Local authorities that have been investigating the high profile Twitter hack that resulted in the hackers getting away with millions in bitcoin have found the alleged ringleader and several accomplices

The alleged ringleader of the Twitter hack that affected several high profile accounts around the world has reportedly taken more than $3 million worth of Bitcoin.

The Tampa Bay Times reported on Sunday that the attorney representing 17-year-old Graham Ivan Clark revealed his client was in possession of 300 bitcoin. Data from CoinDesk shows that this amount, at current market prices, is worth $3.4 million.

During Clark’s first court appearance last Saturday, the bail was set at $725,000.

Local authorities arrested Clark last Friday and allege that he is the ringleader as well as the mastermind of the CryptoForHealth Twitter hack that happened last July. The hack was a coordinated attack on several notable Twitter accounts, such as Barack Obama, presidential candidate Joe Biden, billionaire Bill Gates, Elon Musk and several cryptocurrency companies.

Alongside Clark, the local authorities also accused two others of assisting in carrying out the attack. 19-year-old Mason John Sheppard from the UK and 22-year-old Nima Fazeli from Orlando, Florida were accused of aiding the central figure in the attack, who was called Kirk.

The Florida state attorney handling the case explained that Clark was skilled enough to lurk unnoticed inside the Twitter network. A criminal affidavit from Florida stated that Clark had convinced one of the company’s employees that he was a colleague in the tech department who needed their credentials to access the customer service portal.

Despite the hacker’s efforts, court documents showed that they left hints about their true identities and struggled to hide the money they had collected after the hack became public.

Another individual, who remains unnamed because he or she is a minor, was also found by federal agents after they secured a search warrant to search their home in Northern California. The minor provided the information that the authorities needed to identify Sheppard.

Since Clark is under 18, he was not charged by federal authorities and was instead charged by the Florida state attorney in Tampa. Due to his age, many details of the case and the proceedings will also be withheld from the public.

Legal documents also reveal that federal authorities were already monitoring Clark’s online activity prior to the Twitter hack. The secret service seized over $700,000 in Bitcoin from him in April; however, there was no reason given as to why.