E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
A Wisconsin man has admitted guilt in a nationwide "swatting" scheme that involved unauthorized access to Ring home security cameras. Kya Christian Nelson, 23, from Racine, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and unauthorized computer access charges. He is currently serving time in Kentucky for an unrelated conviction and has been in federal custody since August 2024.
The scheme involved gaining control of Ring doorbell cameras by obtaining victims' Yahoo! email credentials. Nelson and his co-conspirators used this information to make false emergency calls, prompting armed police responses while livestreaming the events on social media.
Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally emphasized the dangers of swatting: “Swatting puts innocent lives in danger.” Akil Davis from the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office highlighted the strain such hoaxes place on law enforcement resources.
Nelson's activities included incidents in West Covina and Oxnard, where he accessed victims' Ring devices to taunt police officers during their response to fabricated emergencies. In one case, a false report led West Covina Police to respond at gunpoint based on claims of gunfire inside a residence.
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt has set a sentencing hearing for May 1, where Nelson could face up to five years in federal prison per count.
Co-conspirator James Thomas Andrew McCarty was sentenced in June 2024 to seven years for his involvement and additional charges in Arizona. McCarty also admitted to accessing a Florida victim’s Ring camera and making false reports leading to another swatting incident.
The FBI conducted the investigation with Assistant United States Attorney Khaldoun Shobaki prosecuting the case.