- Twitter hack “mastermind” Graham Clark owns more than ₿300, worth over $3.3 million
- The 17-year-old hasn’t revealed how he got his Bitcoin, but has been active in a sim-swapping hacker community
- Clark faces 30 felony counts resulting from the hack which netted him a further ₿12
The chief suspect in the Twitter hack already owned more than $3 million in Bitcoin, according to his attorney. 17-year-old Graham Clark’s huge Bitcoin haul was revealed during his bail hearing, where he stands accused of orchestrating the hack that saw him control prominent Twitter accounts including former Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Kim Kardashian in order to solicit Bitcoin. The teenager is facing 30 felony charges relating to the breach, with the $725,000 reflecting the seriousness with which the case is being taken.
Twitter Hack Was Lucky Miss
Clark caused a worldwide crisis last month when he and a team of hackers managed to gain access to an internal Twitter control panel that allowed them to tweet on behalf of some of the richest and most powerful individuals on the planet, a situation that he could have manipulated to cause a huge financial or political incident.
Instead, Clark promoted a well-worn Bitcoin scam that netted him around ₿12 before Twitter shut down the hack. It has since been revealed that Clark temporarily had access to 130 Twitter accounts and tweeted from 45.
Clark’s Bitcoin Haul Source Not Revealed
Clark faces 30 counts in all, made up of 17 counts of communications fraud, 11 counts of fraudulent use of personal information, and one count each of organized fraud and accessing a computer or electronic device without authority. Prosecutors have asked that if bail is paid using Clark’s haul of ₿300 then he must prove it has come from legal means.
Clark’s attorney has given no indication of how his client obtained the Bitcoin haul pior to the Twitter hack, but given his young age it is unlikely he was one of the lucky few who bought pre-2013 and held on. Given his proclivity for hacking, which included joining forums dedicated to carrying out sim swap attacks at a young age, it is much more likely that Clark obtained his Bitcoin stash by illegal means, although police have been unable to conclusively prove this as of yet.
