California teenager could get 20 years in jail for making hoax calls

ORLANDO, Florida: Federal prosecutors said a California teenager has admitted to making hundreds of hoax emergency calls over two years, creating "fear and chaos."

His calls forced police to respond to his false reports of bomb threats and mass shootings at schools, homes, and houses of worship.

Alan Filion, an 18-year-old from Lancaster, California, has pleaded guilty to four counts of interstate transmission of threats as part of a plea agreement approved by the U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida.

He is currently being held in a Florida jail, awaiting sentencing. Filion's attorney, Dan Eckhart of Orlando, declined to comment on the plea deal.

According to a statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Filion made over 375 hoax calls between August 2022 and January 2024, some as part of a "swatting-for-a-fee service" he advertised online under fake internet aliases.

For a fee of approximately US$75, Filion offered to orchestrate police responses that would result in victims being handcuffed and dragged from their homes while officers conducted searches for fabricated crimes, such as murders.

Filion also admitted to a May 2023 incident where he targeted a mosque in Sanford, Florida. During the call, he falsely claimed he was planning a mass shooting in Satan's name and said he was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and pipe bombs. Recordings of gunfire played in the background of the call. Court records and media reports confirm the incident.

The DOJ and FBI tracked Filion to his home in California, arrested him earlier this year, and extradited him to Florida. Although his swatting activities began when he was just 16, he is being charged as an adult.

Prosecutors stated that Filion could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for February.