Ohio gamer Casey Viner was sentenced to spend 15 months in federal prison over a deadly swatting incident.
He is also restricted to engage in gaming activities for two years while he is on supervised release following his jail term.
Deadly Swatting Incident
It all started with a $1.50 bet between Viner and Call of Duty: WWII opponent Shane Gaskill of Wichita, Kansas. Gaskill refused to pay up, so Viner asked Tyler Barriss to "swat" Gaskill.
Barriss contact the police in Kansas from his Home in Los Angeles giving a false report of a fake shooting and kidnapping at a Wichita address, which used to be Gaskill's family home. When the incident happened, the house already belonged to 28-year-old Andrew Finch.
The police thought they were dealing with a man who had shot his own father and holding family members hostage. Police thought Finch had been reaching for a gun as he lowered his hand near his waistband, prompting an officer to shoot him, which led to his death.
Finch's death drew attention to swatting, a form of retaliation in which somebody reports a fake emergency to get a large number of police officers to go to a particular address.
Prison Sentence For Swatting
Barris, who has an online reputation for swatting, was earlier sentenced to 20 years in prison after he had pleaded guilty in April to 51 felonies nationwide. Prosecutors believe this is the longest prison sentence imposed for swatting.
Viner pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of obstructing justice in exchange for a lighter sentence. As part of his plea, he admitted that he tried to hide his involvement in the December 2017 fatal swatting incident. Besides the prison term, Viner was also ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution.
The local district attorney did not charge the officer who shot Finch.
"Swatting, and soliciting others to swat someone, are more than foolish," U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
"Such actions are reckless, dangerous and, as this case proves, potentially tragic. Swatting is not a prank, and it is no way to resolve disputes among gamers. Once again, I call upon gamers to self-police their community to ensure that the practice of swatting is ended once and for all."
