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A California teenager has pleaded guilty to making hundreds of “swatting” calls and violent threats across the United States.
What’s the deal: According to the Justice Department, Alan W. Filion, an 18-year-old from Lancaster, California, pleaded guilty to four federal counts of making interstate threats with the intent to harm others, following a lengthy swatting campaign that spanned across the country. From August 2022 to early 2024, Filion made over 375 swatting and threat calls, frequently targeting high-profile and sensitive locations. His threats included false claims of planted bombs at schools, religious institutions, and government buildings, as well as plans to conduct mass shootings, all intended to elicit urgent, armed responses from law enforcement.
Motivated by profit and notoriety, Filion operated a swatting-for-hire service, where he advertised his illegal activities on social media and treated them as a business venture. He openly boasted online about the fear and chaos he could create, describing the police responses he orchestrated, including armed officers entering homes and detaining innocent residents.
US officials react: In a statement, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, “This prosecution and today’s guilty plea reaffirm the Justice Department’s commitment to using all tools to hold accountable every individual who endangers our communities through swatting and hoax threats. For well over a year, Alan Filion targeted religious institutions, schools, government officials, and other innocent victims with hundreds of false threats of imminent mass shootings, bombings and other violent crimes. He caused profound fear and chaos and will now face the consequences of his actions.”
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said, “Alan Filion not only intended to cause as much harm as possible, but he also attempted to profit from these criminal activities by offering swatting-for-a-fee services. watting poses severe danger to first responders and victims, wastes significant time and resources, and creates fear in communities. The FBI will continue to work with partners to aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone who engages in these activities.”
