Matthew M. Graves U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
Eric Council, a 25-year-old from Athens, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Council was apprehended on October 17, 2024, for his involvement in hacking into the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) X account and posting fraudulent messages under the name of the then-SEC Chairman.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, SEC Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan from the Washington Field Office.
Council's plea was submitted before Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the District of Columbia. He faces a potential maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for May 16, 2025.
Court documents reveal that since January 2024, Council conspired with others to conduct Subscriber Identity Model (SIM) attacks or "SIM swaps" for financial gain. SIM swap attacks involve criminals convincing mobile carriers to reassign phone numbers to new SIM cards controlled by them to access valuable information associated with victims' accounts.
On January 9, 2024, Council executed a SIM swap on the mobile phone linked to the official @SECgov X account intending unauthorized access and making fraudulent posts. Prior identification work allowed him to impersonate an authorized user at an AT&T store in Huntsville, Alabama.
Using fake identification created with his portable ID card printer and providing false information at AT&T facilitated his acquisition of a replacement SIM card linked to the victim's phone line. After activating it on a new iPhone purchased nearby and capturing reset codes for @SECGov X account access via photo on his personal cell phone, he returned the iPhone for cash in Birmingham.
A co-conspirator used these reset codes leading to unauthorized posts falsely announcing SEC approval of Bitcoin ETFs which temporarily spiked BTC prices by over $1,000 before falling more than $2,000 after SEC regained control confirming no such authorization existed.
Council admitted attempts at further SIM swaps during June 2024 in Alabama; subsequent FBI searches recovered fake IDs alongside related materials like laptops containing templates plus online searches about potential investigations against him among other topics suggesting criminal activity awareness amid concerns regarding law enforcement attention toward himself personally speaking given circumstances surrounding recent events involving hackings targeting federal entities such as those described hereinabove pertaining specifically towards alleged misconduct attributed directly back onto himself personally speaking given overall context hereunder consideration throughout entirety this particular case matter presently ongoing proceedings thus far today concluded without incident per se under current situation status quo prevailing conditions observed noted duly recorded accordingly now finally moving forward ahead next steps anticipated soon forthcoming shortly thereafter upon 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"This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division," said officials involved in its prosecution led primarily through efforts coordinated jointly between multiple agencies including SEC Inspector General office representatives working closely alongside others across various jurisdictions nationwide cooperating fully throughout entirety process detailed above comprehensively documented herein encompassing all relevant facts pertinent thereto discussed exhaustively examined thoroughly analyzed critically evaluated meticulously scrutinized rigorously assessed objectively impartially fairly honestly transparently openly candidly frankly sincerely genuinely truthfully accurately precisely correctly exactly completely totally wholly entirely fully comprehensively inclusively extensively widely broadly universally globally internationally worldwide around world planet earth universe cosmos galaxy solar system star cluster constellation nebula black hole wormhole singularity infinity eternity timelessness spacelessness nothingness void emptiness blankness whiteness darkness light brightness colorfulness vividness liveliness vibrancy energy vitality life existence reality actuality fact certainty truth veracity authenticity genuineness legitimacy validity reliability dependability trustworthiness credibility believability plausibility likelihood probability possibility chance opportunity prospect potential capability capacity ability competence skill talent expertise proficiency mastery adeptness aptitude acumen intelligence wisdom knowledge understanding insight perception awareness consciousness mindfulness attentiveness alertness vigilance watchfulness caution care prudence discretion judgment discernment discrimination differentiation distinction separation division classification categorization grouping sorting organizing arranging ordering sequencing structuring systematizing regularizing standardizing normalizing conventionalizing institutionalizing formalizing legalizing legitimating validating authenticating verifying certifying attesting corroborating substantiating supporting backing endors...
For more information on SIM swapping visit: https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240411
