Teen pleads guilty to nearly two dozen charges in connection to nationwide swatting spree

A Canadian teen last week pleaded guilty to charges filed against him in connection to what prosecutors described as the systematic harassment of gamers, mostly women, and their families across the U.S. last year, The Province newspaper reports.

The 17-year-old, who under Canadian law can't be named, pleaded guilty on Friday to 12 charges in the case. He previously pleaded guilty to 11 other charges. The guilty pleas are for charges that include criminal harassment, extortion and public mischief.

Incidents described in court included cases in which the teen called in faked reports of hostage situations, napalm and bomb threats to local police, given the name of gamers that spurred his advances online, according to the paper.

The teen is also accused of releasing private information, including home addresses and financial information, and having utilities turned off at the addresses of different victims.

The teen was arrested on Dec. 5 and remains in custody. The judge in the case ordered a second psychiatric report on the teen. The next hearing will be on June 29.

In November, a developer at Bungie was the victim of a swatting in suburban Seattle. In August, someone swatted a Counter-Strike player in Littleton, Colo. (southwest of Denver) and the incident closed down a nearby school. Just recently a Nevada man was arrested in connection with a swatting he called on a Naperville, Ill. video gamer in July. He faces five years in prison.