UK prosecutors on Monday announced a British man linked to a massive 2020 Twitter hack is being forced to hand over millions in Bitcoin. Joseph James O’Connor, 26, has been ordered to repay £4.1 million ($5.4 million) in crypto tied to the scheme. The infamous Twitter breach saw the accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and other global figures hijacked. O’Connor, now 26, pleaded guilty in the United States last year to multiple charges. This included computer intrusion, wire fraud, extortion, and cyberstalking. However, he is serving a five-year prison sentence. He was arrested in Spain in 2021 and later extradited after the country’s High Court ruled that US authorities were best placed to prosecute the case, given the location of the victims and evidence. UK seizes 42 BTC from hacker According to reports, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it secured a civil recovery order last week. The authority will seize 42 Bitcoins and other crypto assets tied to O’Connor’s role in the scheme. It added that the assets frozen during the extradition process will be sold by a court-appointed trustee. The Chief Crown Prosecutor mentioned that the authority was reportedly able to use the full force of the powers available in order to ensure that even when someone is not convicted in the UK, they do not profit from their criminality. The major judgment comes as the global crypto market is dealing with selling pressure while printing red indexes. Bitcoin price has dropped by more than 10% over the past 7 days. BTC is trading at an average price of $95,253 at press time. Its 24-hour trading volume spiked by 51% to hit $72 billion. Bitcoin was trading around $9k-$10k range when the hack took place. Inside the Obama Twitter meltdown The July 2020 Twitter hack affected over 130 high-profile accounts, including names like Barack Obama, Joe Biden (then a presidential candidate), Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Kim Kardashian, Apple and Uber. During the attack, the hijacked accounts pushed out near-identical messages that urged users to send Bitcoin to a specific address. It also promised to double the amounts received. The scam generated more than $100,000 in minutes. At the time, Twitter (now X) temporarily locked down verified accounts to stem the damage. However, it triggered concerns about the security of the information platform in an election year, even though cybersecurity experts conceded that the attackers’ motives could have been far more destructive. O’Connor’s charges extend beyond the Twitter breach. He was also accused of hijacking TikTok and Snapchat accounts and cyberstalking a juvenile victim. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.UK prosecutors on Monday announced a British man linked to a massive 2020 Twitter hack is being forced to hand over millions in Bitcoin. Joseph James O’Connor, 26, has been ordered to repay £4.1 million ($5.4 million) in crypto tied to the scheme. The infamous Twitter breach saw the accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and other global figures hijacked. O’Connor, now 26, pleaded guilty in the United States last year to multiple charges. This included computer intrusion, wire fraud, extortion, and cyberstalking. However, he is serving a five-year prison sentence. He was arrested in Spain in 2021 and later extradited after the country’s High Court ruled that US authorities were best placed to prosecute the case, given the location of the victims and evidence. UK seizes 42 BTC from hacker According to reports, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it secured a civil recovery order last week. The authority will seize 42 Bitcoins and other crypto assets tied to O’Connor’s role in the scheme. It added that the assets frozen during the extradition process will be sold by a court-appointed trustee. The Chief Crown Prosecutor mentioned that the authority was reportedly able to use the full force of the powers available in order to ensure that even when someone is not convicted in the UK, they do not profit from their criminality. The major judgment comes as the global crypto market is dealing with selling pressure while printing red indexes. Bitcoin price has dropped by more than 10% over the past 7 days. BTC is trading at an average price of $95,253 at press time. Its 24-hour trading volume spiked by 51% to hit $72 billion. Bitcoin was trading around $9k-$10k range when the hack took place. Inside the Obama Twitter meltdown The July 2020 Twitter hack affected over 130 high-profile accounts, including names like Barack Obama, Joe Biden (then a presidential candidate), Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Kim Kardashian, Apple and Uber. During the attack, the hijacked accounts pushed out near-identical messages that urged users to send Bitcoin to a specific address. It also promised to double the amounts received. The scam generated more than $100,000 in minutes. At the time, Twitter (now X) temporarily locked down verified accounts to stem the damage. However, it triggered concerns about the security of the information platform in an election year, even though cybersecurity experts conceded that the attackers’ motives could have been far more destructive. O’Connor’s charges extend beyond the Twitter breach. He was also accused of hijacking TikTok and Snapchat accounts and cyberstalking a juvenile victim. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.

        Highlights:  Michael Saylor’s Strategy added $836M in Bitcoin, extending its streak of acquisitions. Strategy now holds 649,870 BTC, valued at $48.37 billion at an average price of $74,433. The company raised funds for the purchase through preferred stock issuance, avoiding common share sales.  The prominent corporate Bitcoin holder, Strategy, made another major acquisition last week. The company added 8,178 more BTC to its collection for $835.6 million at an average price of $102,171 per coin. The total Bitcoin holdings of the company grew to 649,870 BTC, valued at $48.37 billion, for an average price of $74,433 per coin following this latest purchase. This acquisition happened at a time when the cryptocurrency market was undergoing significant volatility. The price of Bitcoin has recently declined from highs of $107,000 to $93,000. As of this writing, BTC is trading around $93,619, down by almost 1% over the last 24 hours. Despite these fluctuations, Strategy has continued, showing its confidence in Bitcoin as a store of value. Strategy used its preferred stock issue to fund this bitcoin purchase instead of relying on the sale of common shares. The company raised $704 million through its STRE (Steam) offering and another 136.1 million from its sales of STRC, STRF, and STRK preferred stocks. This strategy gave the firm the ability to avoid diluting current shareholders through the issuance of more common stock, which would have been detrimental to the current performance of MSTR stock.  Strategy has acquired 8,178 BTC for ~$835.6 million at ~$102,171 per bitcoin and has achieved BTC Yield of 27.8% YTD 2025. As of 11/16/2025, we hodl 649,870 $BTC acquired for ~$48.37 billion at ~$74,433 per bitcoin. $MSTR $STRC $STRD $STRE $STRF $STRK https://t.co/HI1TeYOvQ9 — Michael Saylor (@saylor) November 17, 2025  Strategy Remains Confident Amid Stock Price Pressure Strategy adding $836M in Bitcoin coincides with the sustained pressure on the company’s stock price. MSTR stock has declined sharply and has lost more than 30% of its value over recent months. Currently, MSTR stock is trading at around $195, a drop of 1.45% since the previous close. In addition, the purchase occurred as the firm saw its market Net Asset Value (mNAV) decline over the last few months. Its mNAV has plummeted to 0.94 compared to the year-to-date high of more than 3. However, the metric has recovered to 1.18 as of this writing. Source: Strategy However, Michael Saylor and his team have reaffirmed their commitment to Bitcoin. The company has been purchasing Bitcoin on a daily basis regardless of the market fluctuations. Recently, Saylor refuted claims that the company was selling its Bitcoin during the price drop, noting that the company has been steadily buying additional BTC. Bitcoin Strategy Continues Despite Market Skepticism Peter Schiff, a renowned Bitcoin skeptic, recently raised questions about the strategy used by Michael Saylor. Schiff denounced the financial framework of Strategy, labeling it a fraud. According to him, the company will find itself in financial instability due to its overdependence on high-yield preferred shares. As Schiff points out, the business model of the company has the potential to create a death spiral in case investors lose their confidence and offload their holdings within the preferred shares.  MSTR’s business model relies on income-oriented funds buying its “high-yield” preferred shares. But those published yields will never actually be paid. Once fund managers realize this they’ll dump the preferreds & $MSTR won’t be able to issue any more, setting off a death spiral. — Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) November 16, 2025  Even with these criticisms, Strategy stands firm in its belief that Bitcoin is a valuable asset. The firm has amassed Bitcoin over the years, including in both bull and bear market cycles.    eToro Platform    Best Crypto Exchange   Over 90 top cryptos to trade Regulated by top-tier entities User-friendly trading app 30+ million users    9.9   Visit eToro eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.