A request has been made by Joseph O'Connor, a British hacker responsible for hacking into Bella Thorne's phone and Snapchat, imploring a US judge to refrain from imprisoning him. In addition to his cyber-attacks on various celebrities, O'Connor has confessed to conspiring to steal a substantial sum of money in cryptocurrency.
As he awaits his sentencing, the 24-year-old has composed a letter to the judge, earnestly appealing to avoid incarceration, emphasizing that he now fully comprehends the gravity of his actions. The individual with a strong inclination towards technology has also confessed to utilizing his computer expertise to torment a 16-year-old girl, engaging in the act of making fraudulent calls to the local police department under her identity.
He was apprehended in the southern region of Spain on charges connected to the hacking of Twitter accounts belonging to more than 130 individuals, including prominent figures such as Kayne West, Joe Biden, and Elon Musk.
In his letter to Judge Jed Rakoff, the hacker elaborated on how his involvement in online gaming had transformed him into "a self-indu
lgent, impulsive fool" and led him to lead a secluded and solitary existence for numerous years.
"I indulged in excessive consumption of unhealthy, processed foods, resulting in weight gain. I also developed a back injury due to spending 18 hours a day seated in front of a computer. I neglected physical exercise," he further explained. "My eyes became intolerant to sunlight whenever I dared to open the blinds."
Furthermore, he expressed his discontent with spending seven weeks in a New York jail, referring to it as a dreadful place, and expressed his desire to now pursue a fruitful and constructive existence. According to prosecutors, it is alleged that in 2019, the hacker gained initial access to Bella Thorne's phone and Snapchat account. The hacker proceeded to share several explicit photos he discovered with his associates. Additionally, he purportedly utilized the social media platform to promote his own accounts, informing users that he would divulge the Disney star's images if he garnered 5,000 followers.
Prosecutors further state that one of Joseph O'Connor's associates messaged Thorne, instructing her to publish a message endorsing O'Connor and other social media accounts. The associate warned her that if she refused to comply, the compromising photos would be released, subjecting her personal life to the scrutiny of the entire internet. In response, Thorne defiantly posted the images herself and sent a message to the associate, expressing her disdain: "F*** you and the power you think you have over me... the FBI will be at your house shortly."
After four months of surveillance on his residence, O'Connor was subsequently arrested, and he later served time in a prison in Malaga. In April, he was extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to seven charges related to cybercrime and conspiring with others to steal nearly $800,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a technology company in New York.
During his upcoming sentencing on Friday, June 23, prosecutors are seeking a seven-year prison term. Thorne had previously expressed her gratitude to the FBI on social media, stating, "I want to thank the FBI for tirelessly searching for the person who made my life and the lives of others a living hell."
