Hayward Man Sentenced for Harassing Cops Worldwide

Hayward resident Sammy Sultan, 44, is headed to federal prison for two years after admitting to a relentless campaign of obscene and harassing phone calls targeting law enforcement agencies across the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. The sentence, handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton in Oakland, marks the end of a years-long international manhunt sparked by Sultan’s disturbing and deceptive calls.

According to court documents, from February 2015 through September 2017, Sultan made hundreds of calls in which he posed as a dangerous fugitive, often claiming he had escaped a mental hospital or was armed with an AK-47, handgun, or automatic rifle. He frequently demanded to speak with female officers or sergeants, fabricating scenarios involving hostages and imminent violence solely to prolong conversations and manipulate responders.

Sultan admitted in his plea agreement that he used Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology and spoofing services to mask his identity, generating disposable ‘burner’ phone numbers to evade detection. He refused to identify himself when questioned and knew full well that each call would trigger massive law enforcement responses, including emergency dispatches, cross-border coordination, and digital tracing efforts across multiple agencies.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse and FBI Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett confirmed the sentencing, emphasizing the global disruption caused by Sultan’s actions. The calls didn’t just waste resources—they endangered public safety, diverting officers from real threats while authorities scrambled to verify his fabricated crises in jurisdictions as far-flung as the U.K. and Ontario.

Charged in November 2017 with one count of making obscene or harassing telephone calls under 47 U.S.C. § 223(a)(1)(C) and one count of making threatening interstate communications under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), Sultan pleaded guilty to the harassment charge in December 2017. The threat charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal. He has been in federal custody since September 12, 2017, and will serve his two-year sentence immediately.

In addition to prison, Judge Hamilton ordered a one-year term of supervised release, during which Sultan must enroll in a computer monitoring program and undergo mandatory mental health counseling. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Green prosecuted the case, which was the result of a comprehensive FBI investigation into the international hoax calls that terrorized dispatch centers and exposed critical vulnerabilities in emergency response systems.

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