Porn, rap interrupt Twitter hacking suspect’s Zoom hearing
The online bond hearing for a Florida teen accused of hacking prominent Twitter accounts was interrupted Wednesday by rap music and pornographic videos from users who apparently disguised their names.
The interruptions-including one by a user who shared a screen and overran the hearing with a porn video-forced Hillsborough County Judge Christopher C Nash to temporarily halt the session for Graham Ivan Clark, 17.
Nash reopened the hearing, however the users continued their disruptions. He in the end declined to lessen Clark’s bail, that was set at $725,000 when he was arrested on Friday.
Prosecutors allege that Clark was the mastermind of the scheme that hacked accounts of celebrities and politicians, and sent tweets from their accounts seeking payments of Bitcoin, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Clark’s lawyer David Weisbrok argued it wasn’t reasonable to create bail at six times the total amount his client is accused of stealing. Lawyers have said he has $3 million in Bitcoin under his control, the newspaper reported.
Prosecutors had sought to have Clark held on $30 million, which is $1 million for each and every charge Clark faces-17 counts of communications fraud, 11 counts of fraudulent utilization of private information, and one count each of organized fraud greater than $5,000 and accessing computers or gadgets without authority.
Officials said Clark poses a threat to society if he has usage of a computer. The state attorney’s office is prosecuting him as a grown-up.
They want Clark to prove the money he puts up for bail was obtained legitimately instead of through criminal activity.
Two other men also were charged in the event. Mason Sheppard, 19, of Bognor Regis, UK, and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando, were charged separately the other day in California federal court.
Fazeli’s father told The Associated Press on Friday that he’s absolutely certain his son is innocent.
“He’s an excellent person, very honest, very smart and loyal,” Mohamad Fazeli said. “We are as shocked as every person else. “I’m sure that is a combination up.”
Federal court public records didn’t list attorneys for Sheppard or Fazeli.
