US US Department of Justice cites video of dancing beans in court case against SEC hacker - "SEC Hack was an inside job"

Article: https://coingape.com/sec-x-account-...d-2-year-sentence-for-hacker-eric-council-jr/
Archive: https://archive.is/NMddx
Court filing: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69281291/united-states-v-council/

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SEC X Account Hack Update: Prosecutors Recommend 2-Year Sentence For Hacker Eric Council Jr.​

US Prosecutors have recommended that the court sentences Eric Council Jr. to two years in prison for the SEC X Account Hack.

The SEC X account hack case is drawing to an end, as US prosecutors have filed their sentencing recommendation against the defendant, Eric Council Jr. In response, Council has objected to the recommendation, appealing for a lower sentence after having made a guilty plea.

Prosecutors Recommend 2-Year Sentence For SEC X Account Hack

A court filing shows that US prosecutors have requested that Judge Amy Berman sentence Eric Council Jr. for the SEC X account hack that occurred last year. The prosecution stated that the case deserves a guidelines-range prison sentence and that Council’s conduct deserves a “significant penalty.”

The US attorneys also noted that the defendant had profited through a “sophisticated fraud scheme” that involved him fraudulently producing identification documents and making a series of misrepresentations to carry out the crime.

Council led the group that hacked the SEC’s X account through a SIM Swap attack and posted a false post on January 9, 2024, regarding the approval of the spot Bitcoin ETFs. That action impacted the market, as the Bitcoin price surged following the false announcement. The Commission thereafter took down the post and revealed it had suffered a hack.

The case officially began in October 2024, when the US prosecutors indicted Eric Council Jr for conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Alabama native pleaded guilty to the SEC X account hack.


Eric Council Objects To Sentencing Recommendation

Eric Council’s lawyers have filed a sentencing memorandum, objecting to the prosecution’s recommendation of a 2-year sentence. The defense lawyers have requested that Judge Berman sentence their client to a maximum of one year and one day in prison following his guilty plea.

As revealed in the May 13 filing, the lawyers argued that a sentence of twelve months and one day serves the ends of justice. They added that the proposed sentence “sufficiently punishes” the defendant for his role in the SEC X account hack and that it promotes respect for the law and ensures deterrence. Eric Council will know his fate on May 16, which is the date for his sentencing hearing.

Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that the hack occurred under the Gensler-led administration, which adopted a regulation-by-enforcement approach towards the crypto industry. However, the new administration has adopted a regulatory-friendly approach with new SEC Chair Paul Atkins vowing to make the US the crypto capital of the world.

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The Beans

https://x.com/vxunderground/status/1922309474087284889/photo/1

https://x.com/vxunderground/status/1891223884210286878

 

[COME ON OUT YOU RAPIST]

So according to the beans, the hacker is alleging he didn't commit a crime because the US government is grossly incompetent and thus deserved to be hacked?

 

[NoReturn]

So according to the beans, the hacker is alleging he didn't commit a crime because the US government is grossly incompetent and thus deserved to be hacked?

Nah. He's saying he did it, but he takes issue with the government's claims he was simultaneously a super-elite haxxor (when he says all he did was a sim-swap) and also naïve to their investigations (when he says he knew they were on to him).

 

[Dumbledore's Onlyfans]

Nah. He's saying he did it, but he takes issue with the government's claims he was simultaneously a super-elite haxxor (when he says all he did was a sim-swap) and also naïve to their investigations (when he says he knew they were on to him).

And also any retard with a crumb of knowledge could have hacked the account. And that most civilians have better security on their phones and accounts than the SEC did. I'm dumb as hell about these things but even I understood how he did it. Their lack of basic security allowed it to happen.

 

[Gottahavemysips]

Nah. He's saying he did it, but he takes issue with the government's claims he was simultaneously a super-elite haxxor (when he says all he did was a sim-swap) and also naïve to their investigations (when he says he knew they were on to him).

I think his punishment should be harsher if he admits to being a SIM swapper. It's among the most spiritually brown forms of hacking. Even at the beginning, in its most advanced form it was incredibly low grade social engineering that relied on exploiting a system that only works in a high trust society (calling the support line and saying I got a new phone/my phone got stolen and I need to activate it). When companies cottoned on to what was going on, it somehow got even dumber - since now manager approval was required, it just turned into calling the support line until you found a manager brown enough to accept a bribe to approve the swap.
Hell, SIM swapping is so goddamn spiritually (and more than likely, literally) brown that even the culture surrounding it reflected that. They made shitty mumble rap on SoundCloud bragging about their SIM swapping crimes and used their ill-gotten gains to purchase gaudy jewelery and Nikes to showcase on Instagram. Everybody involved with that bullshit should be sentenced to TND.