Washington man sentenced for 20 ‘swatting’ calls of false threats in US, Canada

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state man who pleaded guilty to making 20 false reports of bombs and shootings around the U.S. and in Canada has been sentenced to three years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Washington says Ashton Connor Garcia of Bremerton was sentenced Tuesday. Garcia pleaded guilty in January to two counts of extortion and two counts of threats and hoaxes regarding explosives. Garcia made the calls in 2022 and 2023. He admitted as part of the plea deal that he intended the calls to cause the deployment of SWAT teams and other police to the targeted locations.