17-Year-Old Graham Clark Arrested for Twitter Hack Scamming Celebrities
A 17-year-old from Tampa, Florida, has been arrested and charged with 30 felony counts in connection with a high-profile Twitter hack that targeted multiple celebrities and scammed people worldwide out of around $100,000 in Bitcoin.
The accused, Graham Clark, is alleged to have masterminded the hack, which led to bogus tweets being sent from the accounts of prominent figures, including former US President Barack Obama, current President Joe Biden, tech moguls like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk, as well as celebrities Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West. The tweets offered followers the chance to receive $2,000 for every $1,000 sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address.
Clark has been charged as an adult, despite his age, and faces a series of charges, including wire fraud and money laundering. Florida State Attorney Andrew Warren described him as “a 17-year-old kid who just graduated from high school.”
In addition to Clark, two other individuals have been charged in connection with the hack. Mason Sheppard, 19, from the UK, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering, while 22-year-old Nima Fazeli, also known as Rolex, from Orlando, was accused of aiding the scam.
The hack, which took place on July 15, 2020, shocked the tech world and drew attention to the vulnerability of high-profile social media accounts. Twitter praised law enforcement for their swift actions, which led to Clark’s arrest.
U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson emphasized that attacks like the Twitter hack can be traced and prosecuted, saying, “There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence.”