Man who SIM-swapped the SEC's X account pleads guilty

An Alabama man, Eric Council Jr., pleaded guilty for his role in a SIM-swapping scheme that compromised the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's X account on January 9, 2024, allowing co-conspirators to post a false Bitcoin ETF approval that temporarily moved BTC prices by over $1,000 before the SEC clarified the statement and prices corrected. According to the indictment, Council used forged identity documents at carrier and retail stores to acquire a SIM and device to receive SMS-based 2FA codes, which he forwarded to others; he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud and faces sentencing on May 16.