Alabama Man Sentenced for Hacking SEC's Social Media to Post Fake Bitcoin ETF News
A 26-year-old man from Alabama has been sentenced to more than a year in prison for his role in a social media hack that briefly sent the price of bitcoin BTC soaring.Eric Council Jr. of Huntsville pleaded guilty to charges tied to the January 2024 hack of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's X account, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.Posing as a telecom customer using a fraudulent ID, Council used a SIM-swap technique to hijack a phone number tied to the SEC's account. His co-conspirators then used it to falsely post that the agency had approved spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a long-awaited regulatory milestone.Within minutes, the price of bitcoin surged by more than $1,000. It crashed soon after, losing more than $2,000 in value once the post was revealed as fake. The SEC did later that month approve the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs.Authorities say Council was paid in bitcoin for his role. He will serve 14 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.Federal prosecutors called the attack a calculated attempt to manipulate financial markets. 'The deliberate takeover of a federal agency's official communications platform was a calculated criminal act meant to deceive the public and manipulate financial markets,' said Acting FBI Assistant Director Darren Cox. 'By spreading false information to influence the markets, Council attempted to erode public trust and exploit the financial system'
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New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Disgraced ex-pol Anthony Weiner heads crowded field of NYC Council candidates heading into June 24 primary
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I haven't run in a while, and I am running as a different kind of candidate.' The once-rising Democratic star told The Post he's 'not hiding' from his past and insists most voters haven't made it an issue on the campaign trail and that hopes his experience as an elected official will put him over the top. Still, he conceded the comeback bid won't be easy – especially in his uber-liberal district where he's running as a 'practical common-sense Democrat in a time that the party has lost its way.' He said his competitors – which include Assemblyman Harvey Epstein (D-Manhattan) and ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio aide and nonprofit leader Sarah Batchu – are too 'far left,' so he's banking on voters seeking more moderate leadership. 4 Weiner believes Assemblyman Harvey Epstein is too far left for most voters. 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The race has been nasty — despite both being ideologically indistinguishable, including vowing to fight to improve public safety, keep homeless shelters out of the district and combat antisemitism and illegal dumping., Kagan has boasted he's a 'harder worker' than Vernikov, who he ripped as an 'absentee councilwoman.' Vernikov says Kagan is a fraud — a Democrat at heart based on his voting record. Both candidates were previously Dems. 4 Kagan has painted Vernikov as an absentee official. Gabriella Bass As a councilwoman, Vernikov has been a lead voice for Zionists combating antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, helped remove homeless encampments plaguing her district and has fought to preserve neighborhood parking access despite the city pushing an anti-car agenda. Her key endorsements include the city's police officers, correction officers and firefighters unions and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) Kagan, who works as a senior advisor to state Sen. 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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Council votes to widen surveillance at city parks
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'There are multiple reports of violent crimes occurring in parks operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation, the most recent being reports of gunfire on April 20, 2025, at Ala Moana Regional Park, which is one of the busiest parks on Oahu and is frequently visited by tourists, ' the legislation states. Resolution 128 underscores HPD's vacancy of over 450 police officer positions as well. HPD 'is currently dealing with a staffing shortage that would impact the department's ability to maintain a physical presence at city parks in order to detect and deter criminal activity, ' the legislation says. To aid policing efforts, the resolution urges the city to implement 'a one-year pilot program, in order to achieve the legitimate public purposes and legitimate law enforcement objectives … including the detection and deterrence of criminal activity and ensuring the safety and security of the general public and its property.' It says the pilot program is authorized for 'at least one city park per Council district, to be identified by the Council member assigned to that Council district based on a pattern of high criminal activity or ongoing public safety concerns for the respective park.' The legislation states 'overt video monitoring devices authorized under this resolution must be overt and clearly visible, with appropriate public signage to inform the public as set forth pursuant to (city laws ).' Cordero—whose Council District 7 spans Kalihi Kai to Waimalu Kai—previously told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that her resolution 'was prompted by a series of break-ins at one of my district parks, highlighting the urgent need for stronger security.' 'The need for video surveillance in Oahu's city parks is driven by growing concerns over public safety and rising violent crimes, ' she said. 'Notable incidents include gunfire at Ala Moana Regional Park, two break-ins in a District 7 city park, and the recent fire at the Wahiawa District Park Playground.' 'By testing this approach through a pilot program, we can assess its effectiveness and make data-driven decisions for future expansion, ' she added. Cordero said the projected cost of her park surveillance program was not determined. Before the Council's vote on June 4, Cordero noted a major amendment to her resolution—that video monitoring devices placed at parks must not face private property. During public testimony, Hawaii Kai resident Natalie Iwasa opposed Resolution 128. 'I think there's a segment of our population that is particularly sensitive to video monitoring, and that is the immigrants and legal nationals here, especially given the ICE actions, ' she told the Council. 'So we need to be cognizant of that.' Iwasa said surveillance cameras may not deter crime either. 'When you put cameras in one location it seems logical to me that crime is going to move right around the corner where the cameras are not visible, ' she asserted. 'So how does the placement of the cameras in certain areas impact crime in the neighboring areas ?' Chandra Kanemaru, an Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village-Airport Neighborhood Board member, backed the resolution. 'With the alarming increase in damage and break-in reports at our local district parks and the recent arson fire at the Wahiawa District Park, it is clear that our city's public facilities are under threat, ' she said via written testimony. 'We must act swiftly to protect and monitor these facilities and prevent the rising wave of vandalism and destruction affecting our community, particularly our youth.' Kanemaru added 'the destructive actions of these crimes are not just damaging property and costing thousands in funds to repair and replace equipment ; they are penalizing the youths who rely on these parks, pools, and municipal building structures for a safe outlet to exercise and participate in organized team sports activities.' DPR spokesperson Nate Serota confirmed there are currently 165 surveillance cameras installed at 16 city parks on Oahu. 'There have been cameras in city parks for well over a decade under a variety of initiatives, ' he previously told the Star-Advertiser. 'Our most recent batch of surveillance cameras installed included 25 new surveillance cameras within Ala Moana Regional Park.' Cameras are installed and maintained with in-house city staff, while costs depend on the particular cameras used as well as who paid for them, he said. Organizations, like the Hawai 'i Tourism Authority, sponsored 75 cameras, including at Kapiolani Regional Park. He added the 'footage from these cameras is not continuously monitored.' As far as park vandalism is concerned, Serota said the parks department will 'spend between $300, 000 to $400, 000 annually addressing vandalism through in-house maintenance.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges in Nashville court
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, pleaded not guilty in a Nashville federal court on June 13. He is charged with conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Abrego Garcia, 29, entered his plea alongside his attorneys in the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Nashville at 10:13 a.m. June 13. Attorneys also argued a motion to keep Abrego Garcia in detention while the case is pending. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes had not ruled on the detention motion as of the afternoon of June 13. Abrego Garcia's wife read a statement from him at a news conference before the hearing, asking people to "keep praying and keep fighting that the light will always come soon." Both prosecutors and defense are heavily staffed for the case. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who leads all federal prosecutors in Nashville, and lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice are representing the federal government. Abrego Garcia's attorneys include the local Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz and three assistant public defenders. "This has the feel of a case that's going to be very heavily litigated," said Jack Chin, a professor at the University of California Davis School of Law. The charges against Abrego Garcia were revealed when a federal indictment against him was unsealed June 6, the same day the U.S. flew him back from El Salvador. Abrego Garcia appeared in the Nashville courthouse that day, where he was read the charges against him. Since then, he has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. More: How a routine traffic stop in TN exploded into human smuggling charges for Kilmar Abrego Garcia During the hearing, prosecutors and defense attorneys debated whether Abrego Garcia should stay behind bars while the case proceeds. Prosecutors have argued he is a danger to the community, and children in particular, and said there's a risk he could leave the country. Homeland Security Investigations special agent Peter Joseph testified that agents have spoken with five witnesses, including two alleged co-conspirators in what prosecutors say was a smuggling operation. Prosecutors played the bodycam footage from the November 2022 traffic stop in Cookeville now central to the case. Joseph said there was a minor in the car when Abrego Garcia was stopped. In the footage, Abrego Garcia is heard telling Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers that he and the nine others in the car were coming back from St. Louis. License plate readers, however, showed they were not in St. Louis in all of 2022, Joseph said. A license plate reader in Spring, Texas, registered a hit on the vehicle Abrego Garcia was driving days before he was stopped, Joseph said. Joseph also said agents found six of the nine people were in the country illegally. Two had been removed from the U.S. to Mexico in early November. Joseph testified that the Chevrolet Suburban Abrego Garcia was driving was owned by a man named Jose Hernandez-Reyes, whom Joseph said was convicted of alien smuggling. Prosecutors entered into evidence two orders of protection Abrego Garcia's wife has taken out against him. Just before the court recessed for lunch, one of Abrego Garcia's defense attorneys, federal public defender Richard Tennent, pressed the prosecution while cross examining Joseph. Tennent tried to poke holes in the timeline of the allegations of human smuggling levied by the prosecution. In particular, Tennent pointed to the length of the drives prosecutors say Abrego Garcia was taking, and questioned how Abrego Garcia would manage these distances while transporting his family and other passengers. Defense attorneys have argued for his release. "[T]he government isn't even entitled to a detention hearing in this case — much less detention," the defense wrote in a June 11 filing. "Mr. Abrego Garcia should be released." They argued Abrego Garcia does not have an incentive to flee and in fact may have a basis for a new asylum claim after he was illegally deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison. Abrego Garcia denies allegations he is a member of the MS-13 gang; defense attorneys argue that even if he were a member, that not reason enough to keep him detained. Defense attorneys also said the crimes did not involve minor victims, because no children were alleged to have been harmed in transit. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a detainer against Abrego Garcia. If Holmes were to rule that prosecutors cannot detain Abrego Garcia before trial, he would leave Marshals custody but be transferred to ICE custody due to the detainer, Chin said. If that happened, his attorneys may be able to secure his release. An immigration judge may decide to grant Abrego Garcia bail from ICE custody, Chin said. A crowd of at least 100 people had gathered outside the Fred D. Thompson Federal Courthouse by 9:45 a.m. At a nearby news conference, Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, read a message from her husband to the reporters and community members who'd gathered. "To all the families still fighting to be reunited after a family separation, or if you too are in detention, Kilmar wants you to have faith," Vasquez Sura said. "He said these dark times are where we're facing all of the tribulations God has put in our path. But keep praying and keep fighting that the light will always come soon for all of us, and you too will be able to see your family again." The crowd at the news conference chanted, "We are all Kilmar, we are all Kilmar." This case is separate from the civil case over Abrego Garcia's deportation. Prosecutors say between 2016 and 2025, Abrego Garcia was part of a conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants from various countries in Central and South America into and within the U.S. They say Abrego Garcia's role was generally to pick up immigrants in the Houston area and drive them to other locations in the U.S. The charges were filed in the Middle District of Tennessee because he was stopped in Cookeville in 2022 driving a Chevrolet Suburban with nine men the indictment suggests were undocumented immigrants. The Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers who pulled him over allowed him to leave, giving him only a warning for driving on an expired license. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to charges in Nashville court
