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Tampa teen takes deal in Twitter hacking case, may serve 3-year sentence in military-style camp

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Updated  March 16, 2021 5:25pm EDT
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Twitter hacker sentenced as youth offender after plea deal

Gloria Gomez reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa teenager Graham Clark pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of personal information, communication and organized fraud, and access to a computer without authority.

Clark, who turned 18 years old while sitting in jail, is headed to prison for being the mastermind behind a massive Twitter hack, breaking into the accounts of prominent people and companies including Barack Obama, Apple, and Bill Gates.

On Tuesday, during a virtual hearing, Clark took a plea deal and avoided a jury trial. 

Accused hacker’s hearing gets interrupted

Accused Twitter hacker Graham Clark's bond will remain high at $725,000. That ruling came during a raucous Wednesday morning virtual hearing for the 17-year-old. 

"Count three was the account of President Biden, count four, Elon Musk, count five the account of Kayne West," Hillsborough County prosecutor Darrell Dirks told the court.

Prosecutors say Clark and two others did it in an effort to scam users out of bitcoin. Investigators say the trio would urge followers to donate funds with a false promise to double the donation. In all, investigators say Clark stole $117,000 in virtual currency.

Accused teen Twitter hacker makes first appearance

The Tampa teen accused of scamming high-profile people out of thousands of dollars by hacking Twitter accounts made his first appearance in a Hillsborough County courtroom.

Clark’s plea deal went a lot smoother than his bond hearing did last year.

Hackers ‘Zoom-bombed’ the hearing causing constant interruptions and it ended abruptly after pornographic images popped up.

MORE: Hearing for accused teen Twitter hacker interrupted by pornography

Clark was sentenced as a youthful offender and gets 3 years in prison followed by 3 years’ probation. As part of the deal, Clark will be banned from using a computer while serving his sentence and may qualify to serve part of his sentence in a military-style boot camp.

PREVIOUS: Bond set at $750,000 for alleged teen Twitter hacker; must prove money came from legitimate source

Accused Twitter hacker pleads not guilty

His defense says he’s not guilty, but investigators believe that 17-year-old Graham Clark from Tampa was the mastermind behind a massive Twitter hack that scammed people across the country out of thousands of dollars.