Eric Council Jr., 26, of Athens, Alabama, has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for his involvement in a cybercrime conspiracy. The case involved the hacking of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Eric Council Jr Sentenced to 14 Months
According to a statement from federal authorities, Eric Council Jr conspired with others to gain access to the US SEC’s X account by carrying out a SIM swap. On January 9, 2024, a false post was published from the account, falsely claiming the SEC had approved Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Bitcoin’s price rose quickly by more than $1,000 before falling after the SEC confirmed the post was not legitimate.
Eric Council Jr pleaded guilty in February 2025 to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 14 months in prison, ordered the forfeiture of $50,000, and imposed three years of supervised release.
He is prohibited from accessing the dark web or engaging in any activity involving identity fraud during the supervision period.
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Kelvin Munene Murithi
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