Lancaster Teen Pleads Guilty to Nationwide “Swatting” Crimes, Faces Up to 20 Years in Federal Prison

An 18-year-old from Lancaster, California, Alan W. Filion has entered a guilty plea to federal charges after engaging in a pattern of “swatting” that spread chaos and fear across the nation. As per the

Office of Public Affairs

, his actions encompassed more than 375 false reports and threats, targeting an array of institutions and individuals including schools, religious establishments, and government officials. The consequences of Filion’s swatting spree could result in up to five years of imprisonment for each of the four counts of making interstate threats he pleaded to.

In a statement, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco underlined that “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,” Monaco elaborated in a release

made by the Justice Department

.

Filion’s actions, starting at just 16, involved making false emergency calls that led to large-scale deployments of law enforcement and emergency responders. These hoaxes included reports of violent incidents like shootings and bombings, draining resources, and putting people in harm’s way. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate condemned the practice, emphasizing the dangers swatting poses to responders and communities. Filion also used the hoaxes to profit, creating a business around false alarms, while further disrupting emergency services’ ability to handle real crises. He even made threatening calls to various institutions, including an HBCU in Florida and a high school in Washington.

Filion’s arrest took place in January 2023, and he has been in custody since on state charges. The investigations into his prolific pattern of threats and deception have been among the concerted efforts of the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, with the prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cherie L. Krigsman, Kara Wick, and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, the

Office of Public Affairs

noted.

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