California Teen Sentenced for Nationwide Swatting Scheme, Threat to Mosque

Alan Winston Filion, an 18-year-old from Lancaster, California, was sentenced to four years in prison for making over 375 swatting calls across the U.S., including a mass shooting threat at Masjid Al Hayy Mosque in Sanford, Florida, MSN reported.

Filion pleaded guilty to four counts of interstate threats, admitting to contacting law enforcement and claiming he would conduct a mass shooting while playing gunfire sounds in the background.

The threats, known as swatting, are a harassment tactic aimed at provoking large police responses. Filion’s calls targeted religious institutions, high schools, and historically Black colleges between August 2022 and his arrest in January 2024.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate noted that Filion intended to cause harm and profit from his actions by offering swatting-for-a-fee services. He even attempted to deflect suspicion by swatting himself. Filion remains in custody at the Seminole County Jail pending his sentencing.