19-Year-Old Hacker “Famed God” Arrested for Swatting in Las Vegas

A 19-Year-Old Las Vegas teen is set to appear before a judge Monday, after federal authorities arrested the teen for the alleged connection to a July swatting incident that occurred in a suburb in Illinois.

Brandon Wilson, who also goes by the online handle “Famed God,” was apprehended by authorities in Nevada last Thursday and will face an extradition hearing to determine whether or not he will face other hacking related charges. Illinois attorney general said evidence regarding the July 10 swatting incident was on Wilson’s computer, a call in which the teen placed an alleged murder report to Naperville’s emergency 911 line. When the SWAT team arrived, they weren’t met with a murder, but instead the harsh realities of it being a hoax.

Swatting is when an individual prank calls the authorities often claiming a hostage situation or bomb threat are in the midst. Local authorities along with the SWAT team will arrive at the called in location and bust the unsuspecting victims door down raiding the premise only to be met with the harsh realization, it was a prank. Many SWATTING incidents vary in size, some target individuals while other target businesses and schools.

Not all SWATTING incidents are the same, often times the hoax calls are made to disrupt individuals lives, and can often end up putting someones life in danger. The cops busting down your door with assault rifles for a fictitious hostage incident can be extremely dangerous.

The hoax calls are highly illegal and are reported to cost taxpayers an average of $10,000 per hoax call.

The Chicago-Sun Times reported that in addition to the most recent Naperville incident, Wilson’s computer contained evidence of “similar incidents across the country.”

The teen’s arrest came the same day a popular online gamer, Joshua Peters, was swatted while live streaming in front of thousands on Twitch. The victim’s response did not seem to find it as funny as the culprit may have.

Swatting has almost become common-place in the gaming world, with hundreds of pranksters calling in fake police raids claiming hostage or murder situations and bomb threats almost daily. Which generally prompts the SWAT team to arrive armed and ready at the scene. Swatting has become such a common tactic, a simple search for gamers getting swatted on YouTube brings up over 14,500 results.

While “Famed God” or 19-year-old Brian Wilson is being held under the charges of SWATTING incidents at the moment, the teen is also said to have hacked the gaming consoles of two others to obtain or change personal information belonging to the victims and threatened to put one of the person’s father “in debt for life” by accessing their banking information. Wilson currently faces charges including computer tampering, computer fraud, identity theft and disorderly conduct.

If convicted, Wilson could face up to a maximum of five years in federal prison. The FBI, along with three other states are currently investigating the matter and have seized all electronics belonging to the teen.