WA man sentenced for year-long ‘swatting’ campaign

TACOMA, Wash. - A 20-year-old Bremerton man was sentenced to three years in prison for an extensive ‘swatting’ campaign, calling in hoax SWAT calls on unsuspecting victims.

According to the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Ashton Garcia pleaded guilty in Jan. 2024 to two counts of extortion and two counts of threats and hoaxes regarding explosives. Court records show that Garcia called in fake bomb threats to get SWAT teams deployed to victims' homes, then urged his internet followers to watch the swatting live on his social media accounts.

The harassment spanned from June 2022 through March 2023.

According to court records, Garcia called in at least 20 false emergency calls to victims in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Washington, and Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.

"This 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," said U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman. "I hope this prosecution and sentence is a wake-up call for those who think swatting is fun or entertaining. It is a federal crime with potentially fatal consequences."

Garcia demanded money, credit card information or sexually explicit photos from some of the people he threatened.

Court records say Garcia called in phony reports of explosive devices, accusations of murder, rape and kidnapping, and claims that the victims were in possession of knives and firearms. In many instances, prosecutors say Garcia worked from a script claiming his father was holding him hostage, false claims that he shot or stabbed his parents, or that his father had raped female family members.

In some cases, police entered the victim's home with weapons drawn, and in other cases even detained them.

"To see the terrified look on her face will always be with me," said Ohio SWAT commander Dan Grispino, who was dispatched to a hoax call involving a 12-year-old girl who was home alone. "Swatting is not a prank, real lives were at stake… Mr. Garcia showed no regard for the lifelong trauma he imposed on a 12-year-old girl."

"In Edmonton, Alberta, an 8-year-old boy and his mother were woken up in the night by a team of law enforcement officers with rifles. 20 officers and 7 civilian staff members were directly involved in that law enforcement response. In New Jersey, a man was removed from his house and detained at gunpoint, and an elementary school was locked down on the first day of school," wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Manca in asking for a four-year prison sentence. "Over 19 officers responded to the area, along with several officers from a neighboring police agency. In Colorado, a family was traumatized when officers suddenly broke down their front door to rescue a woman whom they believed was bleeding to death on the floor. At least 9 police units were dispatched to that incident."