Protection attorneys have requested a decide to condemn the particular person answerable for serving to put up a pretend message saying regulatory approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds to roughly a yr in jail, countering prosecutors’ request for a two-year sentence.
In a Could 13 submitting within the US District Court docket for the District of Columbia, Eric Council Jr.’s authorized staff requested that he be sentenced to no multiple yr and sooner or later in jail following his responsible plea.
Council was a part of a gaggle that took management of the US Securities and Change Fee’s (SEC’s) X account in 2024 by way of a SIM swap assault, posting a message that instructed the regulator had accredited spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund listings for the primary time.
“A sentence of twelve months and sooner or later serves the ends of justice,” stated the Could 13 submitting. “It sufficiently punishes the defendant for his position on this case. It additionally promotes respect for the legislation and deters future prison conduct.”
Council initially pleaded not responsible to the costs, however modified his plea to responsible in February on one rely of conspiracy to commit aggravated identification theft and entry gadget fraud. The decide overseeing the case, Amy Berman Jackson, additionally ordered prosecutors to “determine the felony and level to the place that data will be discovered within the report” by Could 13.
Jail sentence between 1 and a couple of years?
The SEC hacker is scheduled to be sentenced on Could 16. Prosecutors requested the decide to impose a two-year sentence on Council, saying he “profited by way of a classy fraud scheme.” Court docket filings confirmed he earned roughly $50,000 by way of comparable SIM swap assaults.
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Although Council’s case was doubtless winding down together with his upcoming sentencing listening to, the DC court docket district might quickly be below new management, doubtlessly affecting the prosecution of crypto-related circumstances. On Could 8, US President Donald Trump introduced that Fox Information host Jeanine Pirro would turn out to be the interim US lawyer for the District of Columbia.
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