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Virginia Man Admits to Orchestrating Nationwide ‘Swatting’ Attacks
BALTIMORE, MD – Evan Strauss, 27, of Moneta, Virginia, has confessed to a chilling conspiracy that unleashed a wave of false emergency calls – known as “swatting” – across multiple states. The Justice Department announced today that Strauss pled guilty to conspiracy, cyberstalking, interstate threatening communications, and threats to damage or destroy by means of fire and explosives. The case, spearheaded by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland and the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, exposes a disturbing trend of online-fueled real-world terror.
Strauss wasn’t acting alone. He helped create and operate an online group called “Purgatory,” a digital breeding ground for malicious activity. According to court documents, Purgatory members used platforms like Telegram and Instagram to coordinate “swats” and “doxxing” – the publishing of private information to facilitate harassment. The group didn’t just plan these attacks; they reveled in them, boasting about the chaos they caused on social media. “Swatting” involves falsely reporting emergencies to emergency services, intending to provoke an armed law enforcement response. “Doxxing” is the malicious release of personal information.
Between December 10, 2023, and January 18, 2024, Strauss and his co-conspirators unleashed a series of fabricated emergencies. One particularly brazen incident involved calls to the Newark Delaware Police Department. Strauss falsely reported shots fired in a school hallway, followed immediately by a threat from a Maryland-based co-conspirator to shoot a Newark High School teacher and kill students. The school was immediately placed on lockdown, diverting critical resources based on a lie. The group then shared news coverage of the incident on their social media channels, treating the event as a twisted form of entertainment.
The scope of Strauss’s depravity extended beyond schools. He actively encouraged a fellow Purgatory member to “shut down” an airport. That conspirator, acting on Strauss’s direction, called Albany Police Department claiming he planned to open fire at Albany International Airport, while a supposed “friend” would detonate bombs. Police units rushed to the airport, once again responding to a fabricated threat. The Maryland co-conspirator also targeted a residential trailer park in Alabama, threatening to burn it down and harm any responding law enforcement.
Strauss now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count of threatening to damage or destroy by fire or explosive, and a maximum of five years for conspiracy, cyberstalking, and interstate threats. He is not the only one facing consequences. Brayden Grace, 19, of Columbus, Ohio, and Owen Jarboe, 19, of Hagerstown, Maryland, have already pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing. While sentencing guidelines exist, the final decision rests with a federal district court judge, who will consider various factors before imposing a sentence.
This case underscores the very real dangers of online radicalization and the potential for digital threats to spill over into the physical world. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing of Strauss and his co-conspirators. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, November 6th.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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