Eighteen-year-old Twitter hacker sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release

Graham Clarke, the Twitter hacker, will serve three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Graham Clarke, who orchestrated a major Twitter hack in July 2020, will serve three years in prison followed by a three-year period of supervised release after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors, according to Tampa Bay Times.

Data: Tampa Bay Times

Clarke’s lawyers filed his plea of guilty with the court.

His youth at the time allowed the hacker to anticipate a ‘youthful offender’ status and avoid the minimum 10-year sentence that can accompany such offences for adults. The sentence will stand unless there are violations during the supervised release.

The terms of the plea agreement prohibit Clarke from using a computer without permission and under supervision by law enforcement.

The defendant’s lawyers confirmed that he returned $117,000 in Bitcoin obtained during the fake distribution.

As reported, on August 5 Clarke was charged with 30 counts, including organised fraud, misuse of personal data and unauthorized access to others’ devices. At that time it was reported that he faced up to 200 years in prison.

Clarke and two accomplices carried out a large attack on Twitter on the night of July 16. They hacked the accounts of Elon Musk, Bill Gates and other businesspeople and celebrities and posted messages about a fake distribution of 5,000 BTC.

On Graham Clarke’s wallets there were more than $3 million in Bitcoin stored. The defense says the funds are legitimately sourced, but prosecutors have doubts on this.

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