Three people have been charged by USwith participating in the hacking of celebrity Twitter accounts and defrauding people out of money,
The U.S. Attorney's Office in California said that 19-year-old Mason "Chaewon" Sheppard from Britain, along with Nima Fazeli , 22, from Florida, face criminal charges in connection with the case.
No further information was released by U.S. officials about the third person. However, state prosecutors in Florida separately announced criminal charges against a 17-year-old accused of committing a mass hacking of famous Twitter users' profiles.
The Twitter attack involved a combination of "technical breaches and social engineering" that allowed hackers to break into the accounts of politicians, celebrities and musicians, according to federal prosecutors.
The charges against the three include hacking Twitter accounts, creating spam Bitcoin accounts , and sending tweets from fake accounts.
“This case serves as an excellent example of how money tracking, international cooperation, and public-private partnerships can work successfully to dismantle a perceived anonymous criminal enterprise,” said IRS Special Agent Kelly Jackson.
Florida prosecutors said 30 charges have been filed against a 17-year-old Florida resident, whom they describe as the "mastermind" of attack .
Hillsborough County State's Attorney Andrew Warren said the defendant was arrested in Tampa and will be tried as an adult in Florida. The Twitter attack was carried out through "phone spear phishing," which allowed hackers to take control of the accounts of famous people, including Bill Gates, Elon Musk and former US President Barack Obama, while also tricking some people into sending Bitcoin.
