Alleged Hackers Charged for Roles in Twitter Breach and Scam
On July 15th, 2020, Twitter experienced a widespread hack that affected over 100 prominent Twitter accounts. There were three hackers allegedly responsible for perpetrating the attack. Mason Sheppard, aka “Chaewon,” 19, of Bognor Regis in the United Kingdom and Nima Fazeli, aka “Rolex,” 22, of Orlando, Florida were charged in criminal complaints in the Northern District of California. The third defendant is a juvenile whom the DOJ referred to the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial District in Tampa, Florida.
According to a Department of Justice release from Friday, Sheppard was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer. Fazeli was charged with aiding and abetting the intentional access of a protected computer. After compromising the Twitter accounts, the hackers allegedly created a scam bitcoin account and made false promises to double any money deposited to the account, which they allegedly stole instead. According to the complaints, over 400 transfers worth more than $100,000 were made to the scam account.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California David L. Anderson said in the release, “There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in the release “The rapid investigation of this conduct is a testament to the expertise of our investigators, our commitment to responding quickly to cyber-attacks, and the close relationships we have built with law enforcement partners throughout the world.”
Kelly R. Jackson, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office explained, “This case serves as a great example of how following the money, international collaboration, and public-private partnerships can work to successfully take down a perceived anonymous criminal enterprise. Regardless of the illicit scheme, and whether the proceeds are virtual or tangible, IRS-CI will continue to follow the money and unravel complex financial transactions.”
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s San Francisco Division, with assistance from the IRS-Criminal Investigation Cyber Unit; the U.S. Secret Service, San Francisco and Headquarters; the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and their REACT task force; and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.