Alabama Man Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Hacking SEC's X Account That Spiked Bitcoin Price
Eric Council Jr., a 26-year-old from Athens, Alabama, was sentenced to 14 months in prison on May 16, 2025, for his role in the hacking of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) X account in January 2024.
According to the Department of Justice, Council, using SIM swapping techniques, created a false ID to gain access to the "SECGov" account and facilitated the posting of a fraudulent announcement claiming approval of ETF Spot of #bitcoin .
This message triggered an immediate increase of over $1,000 in the price of #BTC , followed by a drop of $2,000 after the clarification from #SEC .
Council, who pleaded guilty in February 2025 to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, also agreed to return the $50,000 received in Bitcoin for his involvement.
The sentence, handed down in the District Court of Columbia, underscores the efforts of authorities to combat cybercrime that threatens the integrity of financial markets.
