OP 2 hours ago
WASHINGTON – Eric Council Jr., 25, of Athens, Alabama, was arrested this morning in Athens in connection with the January 2024 unauthorized takeover of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) X account, formerly known as Twitter, in which hackers posted a fake message from the SEC chairman that caused the price of Bitcoin (BTC) to rise by $1,000. Council is expected to make his initial appearance today in the Northern District of Alabama.
Council is charged in an indictment unsealed today with conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. The arrest and indictment were announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Criminal and Cyber Division of the Washington Field Office, and SEC Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey.
According to the indictment, on January 9, 2024, the Council conspired with others to gain unauthorized control of the @SECGov X account (sometimes referred to as the SEC Twitter account) and transmitted a fake tweet impersonating the SEC Chairman that, among other things, falsely stated that “Today, the SEC is authorizing the listing of the #Bitcoin ETF on all registered national securities exchanges.” Immediately following the tweet, the price of BTC rose by more than $1,000 per bitcoin.
Shortly after the unauthorized post, the SEC regained control of X’s account and confirmed that the post was unauthorized and the result of a security breach. Following this corrective disclosure, the price of BTC dropped by more than $2,000 per bitcoin. (At the time, the SEC was considering whether to approve exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that held bitcoin.) The unauthorized entity gained control of X’s SEC account through a “SIM swap.”
“The indictment alleges that Eric Council, Jr., illegally accessed X’s SEC account by using the stolen identity of an individual with access to the account to obtain his cell phone number,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Argentieri. “Council Jr.’s co-conspirators then allegedly used this unauthorized access to X’s account to falsely announce that the SEC had approved the listing of a Bitcoin ETF, causing the price of Bitcoin to rise by $1,000 and then fall by $2,000. Council Jr.’s indictment underscores the Criminal Division’s commitment to combating cybercrime, especially when it threatens the integrity of financial markets.”
As described in the indictment, Council, who used online aliases such as “Ronin,” “Easymunny,” and “AGiantSchnauzer,” obtained personal identification information (PII) and a template ID containing the victim’s name and photograph from co-conspirators. Council then used his ID card printer to create a fake ID with this information. Council proceeded to obtain a SIM card linked to the victim’s phone line by presenting the fake ID at a cell phone store in Huntsville, Alabama. He then purchased a new iPhone with cash and used the two items to obtain access codes for the @SECGov X account. Council shared these codes with conspiratorial members, who then accessed the account — and posted a fraudulent tweet on the @SECGov X account in the name of the SEC chairman, falsely announcing the SEC’s approval of a BTC ETF. Council was paid in BTC for performing the successful SIM swap. Soon after, Council traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to return the iPhone used in the SIM swap for cash.
He later conducted internet searches for “SECGOV hack,” “Telegram SIM swap,” “how can I know for sure if I’m under investigation by the FBI,” and “what are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if they haven’t contacted you.”
source : https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/fbi-a...ue-bitcoin
Council is charged in an indictment unsealed today with conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. The arrest and indictment were announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Criminal and Cyber Division of the Washington Field Office, and SEC Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey.
According to the indictment, on January 9, 2024, the Council conspired with others to gain unauthorized control of the @SECGov X account (sometimes referred to as the SEC Twitter account) and transmitted a fake tweet impersonating the SEC Chairman that, among other things, falsely stated that “Today, the SEC is authorizing the listing of the #Bitcoin ETF on all registered national securities exchanges.” Immediately following the tweet, the price of BTC rose by more than $1,000 per bitcoin.
Shortly after the unauthorized post, the SEC regained control of X’s account and confirmed that the post was unauthorized and the result of a security breach. Following this corrective disclosure, the price of BTC dropped by more than $2,000 per bitcoin. (At the time, the SEC was considering whether to approve exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that held bitcoin.) The unauthorized entity gained control of X’s SEC account through a “SIM swap.”
“The indictment alleges that Eric Council, Jr., illegally accessed X’s SEC account by using the stolen identity of an individual with access to the account to obtain his cell phone number,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Argentieri. “Council Jr.’s co-conspirators then allegedly used this unauthorized access to X’s account to falsely announce that the SEC had approved the listing of a Bitcoin ETF, causing the price of Bitcoin to rise by $1,000 and then fall by $2,000. Council Jr.’s indictment underscores the Criminal Division’s commitment to combating cybercrime, especially when it threatens the integrity of financial markets.”
As described in the indictment, Council, who used online aliases such as “Ronin,” “Easymunny,” and “AGiantSchnauzer,” obtained personal identification information (PII) and a template ID containing the victim’s name and photograph from co-conspirators. Council then used his ID card printer to create a fake ID with this information. Council proceeded to obtain a SIM card linked to the victim’s phone line by presenting the fake ID at a cell phone store in Huntsville, Alabama. He then purchased a new iPhone with cash and used the two items to obtain access codes for the @SECGov X account. Council shared these codes with conspiratorial members, who then accessed the account — and posted a fraudulent tweet on the @SECGov X account in the name of the SEC chairman, falsely announcing the SEC’s approval of a BTC ETF. Council was paid in BTC for performing the successful SIM swap. Soon after, Council traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to return the iPhone used in the SIM swap for cash.
He later conducted internet searches for “SECGOV hack,” “Telegram SIM swap,” “how can I know for sure if I’m under investigation by the FBI,” and “what are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if they haven’t contacted you.”
source : https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/fbi-a...ue-bitcoin
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