Final member of computer 'swatting' ring sentenced

Sign up for email newsletters now!

Never miss a McClatchy story

By Bill Miller | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The last defendant in a nationwide "swatting" conspiracy with ties to Fort Worth and Alvarado has been sentenced to prison, officials said.

Carlton Nalley, 35, formerly of Alexandria, Va., was given a nine-year prison sentence Friday in a Dallas federal courtroom, presided by U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn.

The sentencing was described in a news release from U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

Nalley and several other conspirators were caught making prank calls intended to falsely alert the police and SWAT teams in the Johnson County city of Alvarado and in Fort Worth on unsuspecting victims.

In June, co-defendants, Matthew Weigman, 19, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while Sean Paul Benton, 25, received an 18-month sentence.

Nalley, a former resident of Alexandria, failed to appear as ordered for that sentencing and was arrested the following month in Maryland, Jacks said in the news release.

Read the complete story at star-telegram.com

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

We welcome comments. To post one, you must sign in using either your McClatchyDC login or your login for Facebook, Twitter or Disqus. Just click the appropriate box below.

Please keep your comment civil, short and to the point. Obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. If you find a comment abusive or inappropriate, please flag it for the moderator by placing your cursor on the comment, then clicking the "flag" link that appears. Thanks for your participation.