MAN SENTENCED TO 14 MONTHS FOR HACKING INTO SECGOV X ACCOUNT TO INFLUENCE BITCOIN

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (01:02):
In Alabama, Eric Council Junior, twenty six years of age,
was sentenced for fourteen months in prison for his role
in a conspiracy that hacked into the ex account of
the US Securities and Exchange Commission and publish fraudulent posts
in the name of the then SEC chairman, all to
manipulate the value of bitcoin. That sentence was announced by

(01:22):
US attorney Jean Jeanine Peiro. According to court documents from
at least January twenty twenty four, Council and conspire with
others to carry out subscribe or identity model attacks, commonly
referred to as simswaps in exchange for money. On or
about January ninth, Council and others executed a simswap of
the mobile phone account associated with the at SEC gov

(01:44):
x account, the official account of the SEC. The purpose
was to gain unauthorized access to the government account in
order to make fraudulent posts. The perpetrator uses portable ID
card printer to create a physical ID which he used
to impersonate the victim. At an AT and T store
in Huntsville, Alabama, the perpetrator provided false information to the
AT and T historic store employee explain why he needed

(02:07):
a replacement simcard. The perpetrator then obtained the SIM card
link to the victim's phone line, and walked to a
nearby Apple store where he purchased a new phone. He
inserted the SIM card to activate the phone, received the
SEC gov X password reset codes on this new phone,
linked to the victims SIM simcard, and used his personal
cell phone to take a photo of the SEC gov

(02:29):
count redst the code to share with the co conspirators.
After passing along the password reset codes, the PURP returned
the iPhone for cash, and member of the conspiracy used
the reset code to gain access to the SEC count
issue a fraudulent post in the name of the then
SEC chairman, falsely announcing SEC approval of Bitcoin exchange trading funds.

(02:51):
The price of BTC increased by more than one thousand
dollars following the post. Shortly after, the SEC regained control
of their account and confirm that the announcement was unauthorized
and the result of a security breach. The purpose his
co conspirators use sophisticated cyber means to compromise the SEC's
ex account and posted a false announcement that destroyed important
financial markets. The PURP also brazenly used swim sim swapping,

(03:16):
an identity theft to manipulate the bitcoin market and attempt
to line his and co conspirators pockets. So they caught
the individual doing this. The uh Verbitraary's AKA is Rowning.
He was arrested in October seventeenth. The minutes swapping about
fifty thousand dollars to perform the simswap. He pleaded guilty
in February tenth at the DC Columbia at DC to

(03:40):
conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft. But now he goes
away to prison for fourteen months for this little game
he played.