The British teenager charged with hacking Twitter and stealing thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin was today described as 'a nice lad' whose father passed away around five years ago.
The US Department of Justice charged Mason Sheppard, 19, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.
He was one of three people linked to the hack earlier this month which saw accounts belonging to Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Barack Obama hijacked and used to post links to Bitcoin wallets along with false claims that payments would be matched.
Neighbours of the family's £250,000 terraced home in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, have since said his mother Lorraine had been bringing Mr Sheppard up by herself since her husband Mark died.
Pictured : The family's address (centre, white door) in Bognor Regis.
The British teenager charged in relation to the Twitter hack was yesterday described as 'a nice lad' whose father passed away around five years ago
The British teenager charged with hacking Twitter and stealing thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin was today described as 'a nice lad' whose father passed away around five years ago (stock image)
A woman in her sixties, who lives in the same road but wished to remain anonymous, said: 'I know Lorraine and she's lovely.
I've not seen Mason in years but he was always a very nice lad.
'His dad Mark died a few years ago - about five or six years I think.
'This is a real shock. No one around here has seen any police activity or anything.'
A middle-aged woman was at the family's £250,000 three-bedroomed property earlier today but declined to comment on the Twitter investigation.
She said: 'I have absolutely nothing to say.
Please leave us alone.'
Former US president Barack Obama, texas roadhouse the most followed account on Twitter, was among the high-profile targets used to carry out the bitcoin scam
US teenager Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was arrested on Friday morning in Tampa
Sheppard, also known as 'Chaewon', 19, was yesterday charged in a criminal complaint in the Northern District of California.
The charges were conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.
Nima Fazeli, also known as 'Rolex', 22, of Orlando, Florida, was charged with aiding and abetting the intentional access of a protected computer.
The third defendant is a juvenile who will not be identified, the justice department said.
The scam saw more than $100,000 stolen, according to the Department of Justice, with the charges carrying a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison.
US Attorney David L.
Anderson said: 'Criminal conduct over the Internet may feel stealthy to the people who perpetrate it, but there is nothing stealthy about it.'
He continued: 'There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence.
United States Attorney David L Anderson (pictured in 2019) previously said: 'There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence'
The British teenager charged with hacking
por Clifton Ligertwood (2020-09-05)
The British teenager charged with hacking Twitter and stealing thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin was today described as 'a nice lad' whose father passed away around five years ago.
The US Department of Justice charged Mason Sheppard, 19, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.
He was one of three people linked to the hack earlier this month which saw accounts belonging to Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Barack Obama hijacked and used to post links to Bitcoin wallets along with false claims that payments would be matched.
Neighbours of the family's £250,000 terraced home in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, have since said his mother Lorraine had been bringing Mr Sheppard up by herself since her husband Mark died.
Pictured : The family's address (centre, white door) in Bognor Regis.
The British teenager charged in relation to the Twitter hack was yesterday described as 'a nice lad' whose father passed away around five years ago
The British teenager charged with hacking Twitter and stealing thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin was today described as 'a nice lad' whose father passed away around five years ago (stock image)
A woman in her sixties, who lives in the same road but wished to remain anonymous, said: 'I know Lorraine and she's lovely.
I've not seen Mason in years but he was always a very nice lad.
'His dad Mark died a few years ago - about five or six years I think.
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'This is a real shock. No one around here has seen any police activity or anything.'
A middle-aged woman was at the family's £250,000 three-bedroomed property earlier today but declined to comment on the Twitter investigation.
She said: 'I have absolutely nothing to say.
Please leave us alone.'
Former US president Barack Obama, texas roadhouse the most followed account on Twitter, was among the high-profile targets used to carry out the bitcoin scam
US teenager Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was arrested on Friday morning in Tampa
Sheppard, also known as 'Chaewon', 19, was yesterday charged in a criminal complaint in the Northern District of California.
The charges were conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.
Nima Fazeli, also known as 'Rolex', 22, of Orlando, Florida, was charged with aiding and abetting the intentional access of a protected computer.
The third defendant is a juvenile who will not be identified, the justice department said.
The scam saw more than $100,000 stolen, according to the Department of Justice, with the charges carrying a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison.
US Attorney David L.
Anderson said: 'Criminal conduct over the Internet may feel stealthy to the people who perpetrate it, but there is nothing stealthy about it.'
He continued: 'There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence.
United States Attorney David L Anderson (pictured in 2019) previously said: 'There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence'