Teen sentenced to prison for hundreds of 'swatting' calls across US, including Florida mosque
Share and Follow


LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California teenager was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison in a case involving hundreds of swatting calls, including to a Florida mosque among other institutions and individuals, federal prosecutors said.

Alan W. Filion, 18, pleaded guilty in November to four counts of making interstate threats to injure the person of another. Swatting is the practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to get a large number of armed police officers dispatched to a particular address.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Filion made more than 375 swatting and threat calls from August 2022 to January 2024. Those calls included ones in which he claimed to have planted bombs in targeted locations or threatened to detonate bombs and/or conduct mass shootings at those locations, prosecutors said.

He targeted religious institutions, high schools, colleges and universities, government officials and people across the United States, prosecutors said. Filion, of Lancaster, north of Los Angeles, was 16 at the time he placed the majority of the calls.

As part of a plea agreement, he admitted to calls including an October 2022 one to a public high school in Washington state, in which he threatened to commit a mass shooting and claimed to have planted bombs throughout the campus.

He also pleaded guilty to a May 2023 call to a historically black college and university in Florida, in which he claimed to have placed bombs in the walls and ceilings of campus housing.

Another incident involved a July 2023 call to a local police department dispatch center in Texas, in which he falsely identified himself as a senior federal law enforcement officer, provided the officer’s residential address to the dispatcher, claimed to have killed the federal officer’s mother, and threatened to kill any responding police officers.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Postponed Status Hearing for Former Letcher County Sheriff Sparks Community Interest

In Letcher County, Kentucky, a courtroom drama unfolded as former Sheriff Shawn…

Florida’s New Legislation Targets Drinking Straws: What You Need to Know

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new legislative proposal aims to standardize the materials…

Bank of America Contributes $30,000 to Support Golden Harvest Food Bank

AUGUSTA, Ga. – In a significant gesture of support, Bank of America…

Orange County Awaits Federal Reimbursement: Hundreds of Thousands Owed for ICE Inmate Housing

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County is currently facing a significant financial shortfall…

Tragic Skies: Remembering NASCAR’s Greg Biffle and Other Athletes Lost in Aviation Disasters

Tragedy struck just outside Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday when a plane…

Details Emerge on Fatal Plane Crash Involving NASCAR’s Greg Biffle: Remembering the Six Lives Lost

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) — Tragedy struck the NASCAR community when Hall of…

Urgent Search Launched: Two Boaters Missing in McIntosh County Waters

MCINTOSH COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) – Authorities in McIntosh County have initiated a…

Groveland Demands $1.4 Million Compensation from Kroger for Fulfillment Center Closure Impact

GROVELAND, Fla. – On Friday, Groveland officials declared their intention to reclaim…