Florida Teen who led the Twitter Bitcoin Scam via Apple, Musk, Gates' accounts, jailed for 3 years

On July 15, 2020, the Twitter accounts of many prominent personalities displayed a singular message. "Give me your bitcoin and I will double it". People even fell for the scam and collectively lost more than $100,000 in the cryptocurrency. In a recent development, the 17-year-old hacker has pleaded guilty to his cyber crime. He will spend three years in jail, and another three on probation.

Twitter has seen these “double your money” scams many times over the years. It even took to identify some major cryptocurrency accounts and secure them. Further, the social-media giant banned any account impersonating a verified account. But the large scale of this attack shook the entire world. Shortly after the hack, Clark was arrested at his home in Hillsborough, Florida. Clark’s partners, Nima Fazeli of Orlando and Mason Sheppard of the UK, were charged with federal crimes, too.

A local newspaper first reported the development of Clark's sentence. Clark appeared in a virtual court hearing Tuesday afternoon from the Hillsborough County jail. As a part of his deal, his 230 days at the prison will also credit towards his 3-years' sentence.

Only three years for one of the largest internet scams?

Clark was 17 when he led the social media hack. Now 18, the hacker will serve as a youthful offender. Thus, he has avoided a minimum 10-year sentence that would have followed if he’d been convicted as an adult.

A Digital hacker has done it once, he can do it again, right?

Yes, but for three years he is in jail, he will have supervising access to any electronic media. Further, Clark will not have access to electronic devices without the permission of those supervising his probation or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He must also provide unlimited access to all electronic devices during his probation period. Clark's plea also includes turning over devices and passwords and agreeing to unlimited and unannounced searches.