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Florida teen arrested in Twitter hack that hit Biden and Obama

The Twitter logo is displayed on a mobile device on Nov. 7, 2013, in London (Photo Illustration/Bethany Clarke/Getty Images)

TAMPA, Fla. (CNN) — A teenager in Tampa was charged Friday for his alleged involvement in a massive Twitter hack earlier this month that took over the accounts of prominent users like Joe Biden, Bill Gates and Elon Musk and used them to promote a bitcoin scam.

The minor was arrested on Friday morning in Tampa after an investigation conducted by federal and state investigators, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said in a statement Friday.

Warren said his office was handling the prosecution because Florida law allows greater flexibility than federal law to charge a minor as an adult in a case like this.

“The FBI and Department of Justice will continue to partner with the office throughout the prosecution,” he said.

“These crimes were perpetrated using the names of famous people and celebrities, but they’re not the primary victims here. This BitCon was designed to steal money from regular Americans from all over the country, including here in Florida. This massive fraud was orchestrated right here in our backyard, and we will not stand for that,” Warren said.