Summary
Alan Filion, 18, of Lancaster, California, pleaded guilty to four counts of making interstate threats in one of the most prolific “swatting” cases ever prosecuted.
Filion made over 375 swatting and threat calls from August 2022 to January 2023, targeting schools, religious institutions, government officials, and FBI agents.
Prosecutors say he turned swatting into a business, advertising his services on social media for profit.
His hoaxes, which included bomb and mass shooting threats, caused widespread fear and chaos. Filion faces up to 20 years in prison.
For good measure, throw in a couple of fake screenshots of users on 4chan and Reddit calling him a “script kiddie”. That will get much deeper under his skin than spam will.
That’s cruel & unusual punishment, that is.