A significant legal resolution has emerged in the case of a notorious cyber hacker responsible for breaching the X accounts of high-profile figures, including former President Barack Obama and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The England and Wales’ Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that it secured a Civil Recovery Order to reclaim 42 Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies illegally obtained by Joseph James O’Connor, a UK citizen. The assets are thought to be valued at approximately GBP 4.1 million (around $5.40 million).
The CPS collaborated with international partners in the United States and Spain to ensure that O’Connor could not conceal the assets from authorities, leading to the issuance of the recovery order. This order was granted on November 14, 2025, and a court-appointed trustee will manage the liquidation of the seized cryptocurrency assets.
In the wake of his criminal activities, O’Connor previously faced incarceration in the U.S. for his engagement in these cyber offenses, which also included orchestrating Bitcoin scams and threatening to release private images and messages from celebrities. His criminal actions trace back to a series of alarming tweets sent in 2020 from the official X accounts of well-known individuals, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, promoting a Bitcoin scam that promised to double investments sent to a specified address.
O’Connor was extradited to the United States and entered a guilty plea in May 2023, admitting to crimes associated with a sophisticated SIM swap attack aimed at stealing cryptocurrency. This method involved hacking into Twitter and performing computer intrusions to gain control over social media accounts.
The legal proceedings and financial restitution signify a concerted effort by authorities to address the repercussions of cybercrime and emphasize the importance of cybersecurity in protecting digital assets and personal information.
