Man Serves 1 Year in Jail and Community Service for Swatting of Schools

Swatting, the idea of calling a SWAT team on a victim under false pretenses, is not only wrong, but is also being taken more seriously as of late. Just recently a 22-year-old man (though man-child may be the better term in this case) has been sentenced to an entire year in jail for pulling the stunt. Why?

Simple. According to NJ.com (courtesy of Neogaf), he played a part in a string of swatting calls in 2014. A gamer known as Michael Tollis--of Wethersfield, CT--was part of a group called TCOD (aka TeAM CrucifiX or Die), who used Skype to make SWAT calls relating to bomb threats at schools, which provoked SWAT teams and bomb squads to burst into the locations. Tollis was actually part of at least six incidents relating to swatting--one of them relating to the University of Connecticut being shut down for three hours.

So what kind of role did Tollis play? Well, he provided the location and phone data to make the swat calls. Fortunately, he was arrested back in September of 2014 and pleaded guilty to the incidences in June of 2015. In fact, just last Tuesday he was sentenced to one year and one day in jail. He will begin his prison sentence starting November 15, 2015. However, once he is released, he won't be off the hook entirely; he will be serving three years of supervised release, as well as 300 hours of community service. Ouch.

According to U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly during an interview with Fox:

"Swatting is not a schoolboy prank, it's a federal crime. These hoaxes have expended critical law enforcement resources and caused severe emotional distress for thousands of victims."

So what of the other members of TCOD? Well, the FBI is currently working together with the UK police, as it is believed that the remaining members live in the UK. According to the Neogaf post, Tollis was looking for a way to protect himself and his family from online bullying. Similar to joining a gang, he joined TCOD because it would "discourage others from bullying him." Here's the full quote:

Tollis explained that he began to look for ways to protect himself and his family from online abuse, FBI investigators wrote in the federal affidavit obtained by ABC News. He told the FBI he joined a group of gamers who called themselves TeAM Crucifix or Die (TCOD) because it would discourage others from bullying him.

Seriously, just like joining a gang. Honestly, swatting is ridiculous and should be stopped. I'm glad there are tougher prison sentences in place now, so hopefully that will curb the act some, if not entirely.

Hoping for entirely.