U.K. Citizen Extradited and Pleads Guilty to Cyber Crime Offenses

 A U.K. citizen pleaded guilty in New York to his role in cyberstalking and multiple schemes that involve computer hacking, including the July 2020 hack of Twitter.

Joseph James O’Connor, aka PlugwalkJoe, 23, was extradited from Spain on April 26.

“O’Connor’s criminal activities were flagrant and malicious, and his conduct impacted multiple people’s lives. He harassed, threatened, and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Like many criminal actors, O’Connor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States. But this plea shows that our investigators and prosecutors will identify, locate, and bring to justice such criminals to ensure they face the consequences for their crimes.”

“O’Connor has left an impressive trail of destruction in the wake of his wave of criminality,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “This case serves as a warning that the reach of the law is long, and criminals anywhere who use computers to commit crimes may end up facing the consequences of their actions in places they did not anticipate.”  

“O’Connor used his sophisticated technological abilities for malicious purposes – conducting a complex SIM swap attack to steal large amounts of cryptocurrency, hacking Twitter, conducting computer intrusions to take over social media accounts, and even cyberstalking two victims, including a minor victim,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “O’Connor’s guilty plea today is a testament to the importance of law enforcement cooperation, and I thank our law enforcement partners for helping to bring to justice those who victimize others through cyber-attacks.” 

“This guilty plea is confirmation that the FBI’s strategy to counter cyber crime is working. It’s also indicative of what can be accomplished when we work closely with our partners to bring these perpetrators to justice and make the cyber ecosystem more secure,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “O'Connor's extradition is as a warning to all dangerous cyber criminals that the FBI will work tirelessly to find them and hold them accountable wherever in the world they may try to hide.”

NDCA Case

According to court documents, between 2019 and 2020, O’Connor participated in a variety of crimes associated with exploitation of social media accounts, online extortion, and cyberstalking.

In July 2020, O’Connor participated in a conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to social media accounts maintained by Twitter Inc. (Twitter). In early July 2020, O’Connor’s co-conspirators used social engineering techniques to obtain unauthorized access to administrative tools used by Twitter to maintain its operations. The co-conspirators were able to use the tools to transfer control of certain Twitter accounts from their rightful owners to various unauthorized users. In some instances, the co-conspirators took control themselves and used that control to launch a scheme to defraud other Twitter users. In other instances, the co-conspirators sold access to Twitter accounts to others. O’Connor communicated with others regarding purchasing unauthorized access to a variety of Twitter accounts, including accounts associated with public figures around the world. A number of Twitter accounts targeted by O’Connor were subsequently transferred away from their rightful owners. O’Connor agreed to purchase unauthorized access to one Twitter account for $10,000.

O’Connor also accessed without authorization one of the most highly visible TikTok accounts in August 2020, which was associated with a public figure with millions of followers (Victim-1). O’Connor and his co-conspirators obtained unauthorized access to Victim-1’s account via a SIM swap after discussing a variety of celebrities to target, and O’Connor used his unauthorized access to Victim-1’s platform to post self-promotional messages, including a video in which O’Connor’s voice is recognizable. O’Connor also stated publicly, via a post to Victim-1’s TikTok account, that he would release sensitive, personal material related to Victim-1 to individuals who joined a specified Discord server.

O’Connor also targeted another public figure (Victim-2) in June 2019. O’Connor and his co-conspirators obtained unauthorized access to Victim-2’s account on Snapchat via a SIM swap. They used that access to obtain sensitive materials, to include private images, that Victim-2 had not made publicly available. O’Connor sent copies of these sensitive materials to his co-conspirators. O’Connor and his co-conspirators also reached out to Victim-2 and threatened to publicly release the stolen sensitive materials unless Victim-2 agreed to publicly post messages related to O’Connor’s online persona, among other things.

Lastly, O’Connor stalked and threatened a minor victim (Victim-3) in June and July 2020. In June 2020, O’Connor orchestrated a series of swatting attacks on Victim-3. A “swatting” attack occurs when an individual makes a false emergency call to a public authority in order to cause a law enforcement response that may put the victim or others in danger. On June 25, 2020, O’Connor called a local police department and falsely claimed that Victim-3 was making threats to shoot people. O’Connor provided an address that he believed was Victim-3’s address, which would have the result of causing a law enforcement response. That same day, O’Connor placed another call to the same police department and stated that he was planning to kill multiple people at the same address. In response to that call, the department dispatched every on-duty officer to that address in reference to an armed and dangerous individual. O’Connor sent other swatting messages that same day to a high school, a restaurant, and a sheriff’s department in the same area. In those messages, O’Connor represented himself as either Victim-3 or as a resident at the address he believed was Victim-3’s. The following month, O’Connor called multiple family members of Victim-3 and threatened to kill them.

The NDCA Case was transferred to SDNY pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 20 and consolidated with the SDNY Case.

SDNY Case

According to court documents, between approximately March 2019 and May 2019, O’Connor and his co-conspirators perpetrated a scheme to use subscriber identity module (SIM) swaps, a cyber intrusion technique, to conduct cyber intrusions to steal approximately $794,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a Manhattan-based cryptocurrency company (Company-1), which provided wallet infrastructure and related software to cryptocurrency exchanges around the world. 

During a SIM swap attack, cyber threat actors gain control of a victim’s mobile phone number by linking that number to a SIM card controlled by the threat actors, resulting in the victim’s calls and messages being routed to a malicious unauthorized device controlled by the threat actors. The threat actors then typically use control of the victim’s mobile phone number to obtain unauthorized access to accounts held by the victim that are registered to the mobile phone number.

As part of the scheme, O’Connor and his co-conspirators successfully perpetrated SIM swap attacks targeting at least three Company-1 executives. Following a successful SIM swap attack targeting one of the executives on or about April 30, 2019, O’Connor and his co-conspirators successfully gained unauthorized access to multiple Company-1 accounts and computer systems. On or about May 1, 2019, through their unauthorized access, O’Connor and his co-conspirators stole and fraudulently diverted cryptocurrency of various types from cryptocurrency wallets maintained by Company-1 on behalf of two of its clients. The stolen cryptocurrency was worth at least approximately $794,000 at the time of the theft. 

After stealing and fraudulently diverting the stolen cryptocurrency, O’Connor and his co-conspirators laundered it through dozens of transfers and transactions and exchanged some of it for Bitcoin using cryptocurrency exchange services. Ultimately, a portion of the stolen cryptocurrency was deposited into a cryptocurrency exchange account controlled by O’Connor.

As part of the NDCA Case, O’Connor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and two counts of committing computer intrusions, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; making extortive communications, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison; two counts of stalking, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; and making threatening communications, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. As part of the SDNY case, O’Connor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. O’Connor also agreed to forfeit $794,012.64 and to make restitution to victims of his crimes. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) are handling the NDCA case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew F. Dawson for the Northern District of California and CCIPS Assistant Deputy Chief Adrienne L. Rose are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit is handling the SDNY case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olga I. Zverovich for the Southern District of New York is prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing the extradition of O’Connor. 

Comptroller: Cuts to CUNY Threaten Course Offerings and Programs

 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released Cuts to CUNY, an analysis of reductions to the City of New York’s contributions to the budget for City University of the New York (CUNY) ahead of the City Council hearing on Higher Education’s examination of the proposed Executive Budget. CUNY confronts repeated patterns of disinvestment and serious challenges to its finances stemming from inconsistent state and city funding, unstable tuition revenues, the expiration of federal pandemic aid, and rising costs due to inflation.

In Fiscal Year 2023, successive reductions to CUNY’s funding from the City of New York totaled $155 million, resulting in the loss of 235 faculty and staff positions. The FY 2024 Executive Budget reflects $41.3 million annually in permanent cuts for FYs 2024-2026.  Reductions in staff positions and fringe benefits account for $35 million of these cuts.

“CUNY represents both the rich diversity and possibility that is New York City,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “This Executive Budget jeopardizes CUNY’s ability to provide the academic and support services necessary to catapult low-income New Yorkers into the middle class. CUNY remains New York City’s greatest opportunity for civic recovery and rebuilding after the pandemic, and the City must recognize the powerful value of a strong CUNY by realigning long term budget priorities.”

The CUNY system has 225,000 students spanning 25 campuses including senior colleges, community colleges and graduate schools. The overall budget for CUNY is $4.3 billion in FY 2023, which includes $3.1 billion for Senior Colleges (4-year) and $1.2 billion for Community Colleges (2-year). Although New York State provides the majority of CUNY’s budget, the City contributes over $600 million dollars, making up 14% of the overall CUNY budget with over 90% dedicated to CUNY community colleges.

In response to the latest PEG in February, a CUNY memo informed Presidents and Deans of a hiring freeze and a centrally-managed vacancy review process—which will result in fewer counselors, faculty and support staff. April Financial Plan still budgets $415 million annually in tuition and fees for FY 2024 and out and even if enrollment and tuition at Community Colleges stabilizes rather than continues to decline, CUNY will face devastating reductions in its budget– almost $141 million this year alone—and more in the outyears.

Lander continued, “Students striving to gain higher education, but who need academic supports and schedule flexibility to balance school with work or caregiving responsibilities will find classroom doors closed without professors to teach those classes. Without these classes and supports, students will drop out and in turn exacerbate CUNY’s enrollment and tuition declines and further strain the institution’s overall budget.”

CUNY educates a critical segment of the New York City and State workforce. A 2021 analysis by the Comptroller’s Office found that CUNY graduates earned $57 billion and paid an estimated $4.2 billion in State income taxes in 2019. The Mayor’s Executive Budget also jeopardize the expansion of successful programs such as CUNY Reconnect, Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) and Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE), further weakening the institution’s ability to attract and uplift students.

“Comptroller Brad Lander is right to raise the alarm about the harm to CUNY wrought by the mayor’s repeated budget cuts because cutting CUNY undermines New York’s communities, workforce, and economy,” said James Davis, President of Professional Staff Congress/CUNY. “CUNY graduates strengthen the City’s workforce and contribute $4.2 billion annually to the state economy, most of it here in our city.  No university system lifts more students and families out of poverty and into the middle class than CUNY, but Mayor Adams’ cuts are undermining students’ academic and career success. We urge the mayor to heed the Comptroller’s and City Council’s concerns and restore CUNY’s funding.”

Read the full Cuts to CUNY report here.

As Title 42 Expires, Governor Hochul Issues Executive Order Providing State And Municipalities With Greater Flexibility to Support Expected Arrivals of Asylum Seekers in New York

 

New Executive Order Will Boost Support for Asylum Seekers By Expanding State and Municipal Procurement Capabilities And Increasing Capacity Of National Guard To Provide Logistical Support

Order Will Allow State To Rapidly Deploy More Than $1 Billion to Support New York City's Aid Efforts Included In FY24 State Budget

 Governor Kathy Hochul today issued an Executive Order to help provide aid to asylum seekers expected to arrive in New York as federal Title 42 immigration policy is set to expire on May 11. The Executive Order will provide the State with greater flexibility to procure the resources necessary for municipalities to support asylum seekers while also allowing the State to increase the number of National Guard service members providing logistical and operational support.  

"For more than a year, we have been working closely with Mayor Adams to provide support and advocate for federal resources to address the large numbers of asylum seekers arriving in New York City," Governor Hochul said. "With Title 42 set to expire, the circumstances on the ground are expected to change significantly and this Executive Order will be an important part of our coordinated response. I have spoken to Mayor Adams and County Executives throughout New York as we work to address this situation"   

A copy of the Executive Order is available here.

Executive Order 28 allows the State and localities to quickly respond to the anticipated arrivals of asylum seekers. It will allow New York State to mobilize an additional 500 members of the National Guard, who are currently providing logistical and operational support at the Port Authority and shelter sites, bringing the total mobilization to approximately 1,500 service members. It will also allow the State and localities to quickly purchase necessary supplies and resources, including food and equipment.  

Governor Hochul worked with the legislature to secure more than $1 billion in funding to help New York City support asylum seekers in the FY24 Budget, and the new Executive Order will allow State and municipal officials to quickly mobilize these resources to address large numbers of asylum seekers expected to arrive after Title 42 expires. This includes $741 million for shelter costs, $162 million to support the ongoing National Guard presence, $137 million in health care through NYC Care, $26 million in public assistance, $25 million for the voluntary relocation of families to permanent housing and an additional $5 million for enhanced support through the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, and $10 million for legal assistance through the Office of New Americans.   

Governor Hochul has consistently pushed for additional federal support, specifically regarding funding and shortened waiting periods before asylum seekers can legally work. Governor Hochul and her administration have raised this issue directly with President Biden, DHS Secretary Mayorkas, Chief of Staff Zients, former Chief of Staff Klain and others.    

Since asylum seekers began arriving in New York last April, Governor Hochul has provided significant support to New York City's efforts. This includes mobilizing more than 1,000 members of the National Guard to provide logistical and operational support, making a portion of the Port Authority Bus Terminal available as a welcome center for new arrivals and mobilizing MTA buses to provide transportation assistance between shelter sites. In addition, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance continues to provide support to New York City and all impacted areas providing shelter and other services. The State continues to work with New York City on selecting appropriate sites within the city to shelter asylum seekers as they arrive and await legal work status.  

News, updates and more from NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

 

Bronx Week 2023 Kickoff at Children's Museum

 

Monday May 8th was the kickoff to Bronx Week 2023 at the Children's Museum. Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson announced that Bronx Week runs from the kickoff on May 8th through Sunday May 21st when the Bronx Week Annual Parade, Food and Arts Festival, and The Bronx Week Grand Finale Concert will happen. Bronx Borough President Gibson said that the Bronx Week parade, Food and Arts Festival, and Concert on May 21st would take place on the Grand Concourse with the Parade going from West 167th Street to West 158th Streets on the Grand Concourse as it did twenty years ago. Go to www.ilovethebronx.com/ for more details on events of Bronx Week 2023. 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson also announced the Bronx Week Walk of Fame Inductees for 2023. They are Juliet Papa Reporter, 1010 WINS, God-is Rivera VP Marketing Disney Entertainment, Sunny Hostin Attorney and Multi-Platform Journalist, SMV R & B Vocal Trio, and Luis Torres Principal PS 55 who was the People's Choice Recipient this year. Juliet Papa and Principal Torres were both present at the announcement and both thanked Borough President Gibson for the honor. The Bronx Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday May 20th at 1 PM in front of the Bronx Borough Hall located at 851 Grand Concourse at East 161st Street. 

Veronica Guity Marketing & Social Media Manager of the Bronx Tourism Council was the Mistress of Ceremony.

Marcos Crespo represented Montefiore Hospital a major sponsor of Bronx Week 2023.

Silvia Poada represented Essen Health Care also a major sponsor of Bronx Week.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson speaks about the many different events that will be a part of Bronx Week 2023, before she introduced the 2023 Bronx Week Walk of Fame inductees.

One by one the 2023 Bronx Week Walk of Fame Inductees were announced by Borough President Gibson. (L - R) Juliet Papa, Sunny Hostin, God-is Rivera, SWV, and Luis Torres. 

(L - R) Walk of Fame Inductee Luis Torres, Veronica Guity Bronx Tourism Council, Denise Rosario Adusei Executive Director Bronx Children's Museum, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, Walk of Fame Honoree Juliet Papa, John Calvelli Executive Vice-President Wildlife Conservation Society, Marcos Crespo of Montefiore Hospital, and Sulma Arzu-Brown Executive Director of the Bronx Tourism Council.

Team AOC - Are you graduating this month?

 

Are you graduating this month? Or perhaps you know someone who is?

A few days ago, a supporter asked Alexandria if she had also felt lost and scared when she graduated from college. Check out her response below:

“Yes! Be kind to yourself during this time! This photo is of me, bartending at 28, just a few months before I would find myself elected to Congress. I had no idea what was about to happen to me.

I was very scared graduating college! I felt “behind” and like a failure for a long time. My biggest piece of advice is to be gentle with yourself. Take risks, fail, get up, try again. There is so much pressure to be “successful” (whatever that means) right out of school, but I find that can be a trap or a curse of its own.

Bartending was really hard, I beat myself up a lot over this idea of “not living to my potential.” I lost some friends who wanted to be around more “successful” people, but looking back I also feel like it was the best thing to happen to me. It was a very grounding time where I feel like I really developed myself, maintained and made the realest friendships I have, and tried to do lots of new and different things. I spent a lot of that time wishing I was “doing better” and scared I would “never amount to anything” (hi, eldest daughter checking in!!) or have any stability to my life. But looking back I wouldn’t change it at all. I would just have been more patient and kind to myself.”

In our capitalist society, it can be so hard to separate our sense of self-worth from the job that we do or what we produce. But, we must be gentle with ourselves and look at our career path as just one piece of our development as a whole, complex person.

Please be gentle with yourself ,

Team AOC

News, updates and more from NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

 

Visit our District Office at:  1070 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York 10459 (718) 402-6130 salamanca@council.nyc.gov

Former Coinbase Insider Sentenced In First Ever Cryptocurrency Insider Trading Case

Ishan Wahi Was Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Tipping His Associates Regarding Crypto Assets That Were Going to be Listed on Coinbase Exchanges 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ISHAN WAHI, a former product manager at Coinbase Global, Inc. (“Coinbase”), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska to two years in prison for providing Coinbase’s confidential business information about upcoming Coinbase crypto asset listings to his brother and his friend so that they could place profitable trades in advance of Coinbase’s listing announcements.  WAHI previously pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Ishan Wahi – a former Coinbase product manager – violated the trust placed in him by his employer by tipping others with valuable confidential information regarding Coinbase’s planned token listings.  Today’s sentence should send a strong signal to all participants in the cryptocurrency markets that the laws decidedly do apply to them.  The Southern District of New York will hold those who engage in insider trading to full account, regardless of whether their illegal conduct occurs in the equity markets or in the market for crypto assets.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and statements made in public court proceedings:

At all relevant times, Coinbase was one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.  Coinbase users could acquire, exchange, and sell various crypto assets through online user accounts with Coinbase.  Periodically, Coinbase added new crypto assets to those that could be traded through its exchange, and the market value of crypto assets typically significantly increased after Coinbase announced that it would be listing a particular crypto asset.  Accordingly, Coinbase kept such information strictly confidential and prohibited its employees from sharing that information with others, including by providing a “tip” to any person who might trade based on that information.

Beginning in approximately October 2020, ISHAN WAHI worked at Coinbase as a product manager assigned to a Coinbase asset listing team.  In that role, WAHI was involved in the highly confidential process of listing crypto assets on Coinbase’s exchanges and had detailed and advanced knowledge of which crypto assets Coinbase was planning to list and the timing of public announcements about those crypto asset listings. 

On multiple occasions between June 2021 and April 2022, WAHI violated his duties of trust and confidence to Coinbase by providing confidential business information that he learned in connection with his employment at Coinbase to Nikhil Wahi and Sameer Ramani so that they could secretly engage in profitable trades around public announcements by Coinbase that it would be listing certain crypto assets on Coinbase’s exchanges.  Following Coinbase’s public listing announcements, on multiple occasions, Nikhil Wahi and Ramani sold the crypto assets for a profit. 

On April 12, 2022, a Twitter account that is well known in the crypto community tweeted regarding an Ethereum blockchain wallet “that bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of tokens exclusively featured in the Coinbase Asset Listing post about 24 hours before it was published.”  The trading activity referenced in the April 12 tweet was trading previously conducted by Ramani based on tips provided by WAHI.  Coinbase thereafter publicly replied on Twitter, noting that it had already begun investigating the matter and, a few weeks later, stated in a public blog post that any Coinbase employee who leaked confidential company information would be “immediately terminated and referred to relevant authorities (potentially for criminal prosecution).”  On May 11, 2022, Coinbase’s director of security operations emailed WAHI to inform him that he should appear for an in-person meeting relating to Coinbase’s asset listing process at Coinbase’s Seattle, Washington, office on May 16, 2022.  WAHI confirmed he would attend the meeting.

On the evening of May 15, 2022, WAHI purchased a one-way flight to India that was scheduled to depart the next day shortly before WAHI was supposed to be interviewed by Coinbase.  In the hours between booking the flight and his scheduled departure, WAHI called and texted Nikhil Wahi and Ramani about Coinbase’s investigation and sent both of them a photograph of the messages he had received on May 11, 2022, from Coinbase’s director of security operations.  Prior to boarding the May 16, 2022, flight to India, WAHI was stopped by law enforcement and prevented from leaving the country.

In addition to the prison sentence, ISHAN WAHI, 32, of Seattle, Washington, was ordered to forfeit various crypto assets that he received in connection with the scheme.

Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  He also acknowledged the assistance of the Justice Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, as well as that of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which separately initiated civil proceedings against WAHI.