The 21-year-old has been sentenced for four federal felonies stemming from what the DOJ said was ‘extensive illegal harassing activity.’
A Washington man has been sentenced to three years in prison after making 20 false emergency reports to police, including some claiming that explosive devices had been planted in various places across the United States and in Canada, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced.
Ashton Connor Garcia, a 21-year-old from Bremerton, Washington, was sentenced on June 5 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for four federal felonies stemming from what the DOJ said was “extensive illegal harassing activity,” also known as swatting.
His sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle, who said he felt the lengthy prison time was justified because there is a need to “send a message that engaging in swatting will get more than a slap on the hand.”
Swatting involves making hoax calls to law enforcement officials claiming there is some kind of emergency or violent crime taking place in an attempt to make police dispatch a large number of armed police officers, sometimes special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units, to a particular address.
Doing so isn’t only time-consuming but also draws police resources and funds away from real crimes.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI, are currently investigating a surge in swatting incidents across the United States with targets including schools and congressional lawmakers.
Mr. Garcia initially pleaded guilty in January 2024 to two counts of extortion and two counts of threats and hoaxes regarding explosives.
Prosecutors said that between June 2022 and March 2023, Mr. Garcia contacted emergency services both via the internet and through phone calls, asking them to dispatch services while “urging others to watch his illegal activity” online.
Garcia ‘Threatened Victims, Demanded Money’
Mr. Garcia made the false emergency reports to non-emergency police numbers targeting victims in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Washington, and Canada, prosecutors said.
On some of the calls, he allegedly claimed that he and others had planted explosive devices in particular locations, prosecutors said.
In other instances, Mr. Garcia falsely accused other individuals of committing crimes, such as murder, rape, and kidnapping. He also falsely claimed that the individuals had dangerous weapons, such as knives, firearms, and explosive devices.
According to the DOJ, Mr. Garcia would often say the same things on the emergency calls, including claiming that his father was holding him hostage or that he had shot his parents, among other false claims.
“Garcia gathered personal information about his victims, and then threatened some of his victims with harm, including placing swatting calls to send an armed police presence to their home,” the DOJ said. “Garcia demanded money, virtual currency, credit card information, or sexually explicit photos from some of the people he threatened.”
According to the DOJ, some of Mr. Garcia’s false phone calls caused police to arrive at an address he had provided with their weapons drawn before detaining victims at his targeted locations.
Calls Made With Intent to ‘Harass, Intimidate’
As part of his plea deal with prosecutors, Mr. Garcia admitted he intended the calls to cause the large-scale deployment of SWAT teams, bomb squads, and other law enforcement to the targeted locations.
“He made these calls with malicious intent to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against certain individuals and organizations, and to obtain items of value through extortion,” prosecutors said.
Mr. Garcia’s sentencing comes amid a rise in swatting attacks across the country, many of which appear to be targeting lawmakers.
In January, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, were the victims of such an incident, when law enforcement officials descended on their property in response to what they believed to be a “life-threatening” situation.
The couple wasn’t at home when authorities arrived, they said.
Elsewhere, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) claimed that her home in Georgia was the target of a swatting attempt late last year, and Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) have also said they have been targeted in such attacks.
In a statement following Mr. Garcia’s sentencing, U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said his conduct “is not only outrageous, it is dangerous for the victims, for first responders, and for members of the public who may need emergency response but cannot get it because resources are tied up at a false report.”
“I hope this prosecution and sentence is a wake-up call for those who think swatting is fun or entertaining,” Ms. Gorman said. “It is a federal crime with potentially fatal consequences.”
The Epoch Times contacted an attorney for Mr. Garcia for comment but received none by press time.