On November 9, he referred to as a neighborhood suicide prevention hotline in Skagit County and mentioned he was going to “shoot up the college” and had an AR-15 for the aim.
In April, he referred to as the native police division—twice—threatening college violence and demanding $1,000 in monero (a cryptocurrency) to make the threats cease.
In Might, he referred to as in threats to 20 extra public excessive colleges throughout the state of Washington, and he ended lots of the calls with “the sound of automated gunfire.” Most of the colleges performed lockdowns in response.
To get a way of how disruptive this was, extrapolate this type of conduct throughout the nation. Filion made comparable calls to Iowa excessive colleges, companies in Florida, spiritual establishments, historic black schools and universities, non-public residents, members of Congress, cabinet-level members of the chief department, heads of a number of federal legislation enforcement companies, at the least one US senator, and “a former President of the USA.”
An incident report from Florida after Filion made a swatting name towards a mosque there.
Who, me?
On July 15, 2023, the FBI truly searched Filion’s dwelling in Lancaster, California, and interviewed each Filion and his father. Filion professed complete bafflement about why they is perhaps there. Excessive colleges in Washington state? Filion replied that he “didn’t perceive what the brokers have been speaking about.”
His father, who seems to have been unaware of his son’s exercise, chimed in to level out that the household had truly been a current sufferer of swatting! (The self-swattings did twin responsibility right here, additionally serving to make Filion seem like a sufferer, not the ringleader.)
When the FBI brokers informed the Filions that it was truly Alan who had made these calls on his personal tackle, Alan “falsely denied any involvement.”
Amazingly, when the feds left with the proof from their search, Alan returned to swatting. It was not till January 18, 2024, that he was lastly arrested.
He ultimately pled responsible and signed a prolonged assertion outlining the crimes recounted above. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 48 months in federal jail.
