Swatting – MMO Fallout

Tyler Barriss Officially Sentenced to 20 Years In Prison

Californian Tyler Barriss has been officially sentenced to 20 years in prison for making fraudulent 911 calls, including one that lead to the shooting death of 28 year old Wichita resident Andrew Thomas Finch.

Barriss, 26, was arrested following his admission of placing a phone call alerting authorities to a hostage situation in Wichita, Kansas. When police arrived, the ordeal ended with one officer shooting the aforementioned Andrew Finch. The call was a hoax, sent in by Barriss on the belief that the address belonged to another person. According to admissions by parties involved, Barriss was tasked with calling in the fake hostage situation by another individual who had lost a bet over Call of Duty.

The total wager that cost Mr. Finch his life; Approximately $2. Federal authorities are also pressing charges against Casey Viner and Shane Gaskill, the two individuals responsible for requesting the swat call and providing the fake address to Barriss.

In December, Barriss entered a plea deal that would see him serve at least 20 years, possibly the longest sentence imposed for “swatting.” In addition to the death of Andrew Finch, Barriss has also pleaded guilty to 51 federal charges regarding fake 911 calls and bomb threats. Barriss was also arrested several years ago after calling bomb threats to ABC Studios. Despite his earlier demeanor refusing to take responsibility for the results of his actions, the Barriss that appeared before the court was more apologetic to Finch’s family.

“If I could take it back, I would, but there is nothing I can do,” Barriss told the court. “I am so sorry for that.”

Viner and Gaskill are still awaiting trial.

Source: AP News

Tyler Barriss Convicted, Could Be Sentenced to 20+ Years

Los Angeles resident and soon-to-be long term prisoner Tyler Barriss has entered into a plea deal in federal court in Kansas and is facing a sentence of at least twenty years. Barriss previously pled guilty to his role in orchestrating a swatting incident which resulted in the death of a Wichita man at the hands of local police officers. In addition to this charge, Barriss also pled guilty to a hoax bomb threat in the District of Columbia and 46 counts of making false bomb threats against high schools, universities, shopping malls, and TV stations in more than a dozen states. Nobody was injured in those other cases.

In the Wichita case, authorities are still pressing charges against Casey Viner and Shane Gaskill, two co-defendants whose feud over Call of Duty led to Viner requesting the swatting hoax from Barriss with Gaskill providing the fake address.

Sentencing is set for January 30. Barriss is 25, meaning he will be close to if not over 50 by the time his sentence has been fully served.

(Source: Justice.gov)

Police Arrest 25 Year Old Tyler Barriss Over Deadly Swatting Prank

The Los Angeles Police Department has taken 25 year old Tyler Barriss into custody in connection with a deadly prank that culminated in the loss of a life earlier this week. Barriss, of Los Angeles, is being charged with a prank called “swatting,” in this case Barriss told the police that a man had been killed and his family held hostage.

Barriss had allegedly called in the false threat over a lost bet while playing Call of Duty. Finch was not involved in the game, the intended victim gave Barriss a fake address. The total sum of the wager was $2.

When 28 year old Andrew Thomas Finch answered the door, he was shot and killed by one police officer. The officer in question has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. Finch was the father of two, and his children were not in the house at the time of the incident.

Barriss was arrested two years ago after sending bomb threats to ABC Studios. Police may find prosecution an easy task as Barriss appeared in an interview with Youtube personality Keemstar which appears to be a full confession of him calling in the prank.

A Gofundme for Finch’s funeral bills has gained nearly eight thousand dollars as of this publishing.

(Source: KWCH12)

Less Massive: Five Years For Swatting

Swatting is a highly dangerous activity by which a person calls the police to a residence under the pretense of a dangerous situation (shooting, hostage, someone with a gun, suicidal, etc). It is a crime that carries stiff penalties, and several people are now finding that out the hard way.

In a report released by the FBI today, the members of a party line organizing swatting calls are either in jail, or on their way.

Jason Allen Neff, 33, pleaded guilty today to federal charges in a “swatting” case, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Swatting refers to falsely reporting an emergency to a police department to cause a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) response to a physical address, or making a false report to elicit an emergency response by other first responders to a specific physical address.

Neff joins his previously charged and convicted co-conspirators Guadalupe Martinez, Stuart Rosoff, Jason Trowbridge, Chad Ward, Matthew Weigman, Angela Roberson and others, all of whom were sentenced to 30 or 60 months with Weigman receiving the harshest penalty of 135 months. Neff faces five years in prison, 60 months, plus he must pay nearly $80,000 in restitution.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney C.S Heath.

(Source: US Department of Justice)