Bremerton man convicted of crashing in US, Canada – KIRO 7 News Seattle

Lina PortmanJune 5, 2024

1 1 minute read

TACOMA, Wash. — A U.S. district judge on Tuesday sentenced a Bremerton man to 3 years in prison on four counts of swatting.

Ashton Connor Garcia, 20, was charged with two counts of extortion and two counts of threats and hoaxes involving explosives in 2022.

“The crush is cruel. It's not civilized. This is about deliberately terrorizing other human beings,” said U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle.

The plea agreement described Garcia using Internet voice technology and social media to make fake emergency calls and go live so others could watch the response.

Garcia wrote 20 different false emergency reports alleging false claims in several states and Canada and threatened to extort the victims, the agreement details.

“This conduct is not only outrageous, it is also dangerous for victims, for first responders and for members of the public who may need emergency intervention but cannot get it because resources are blocked by a false report”, Tessa M. Gorman, United States. The lawyer said. “I hope this prosecution and conviction will be a wake-up call to those who think swatting is fun or entertaining. This is a federal crime with potentially deadly consequences.

Garcia has been held at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center since violating the conditions of his pretrial release last year.