A Rochester woman has been sentenced in connection with a swatting incident. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Dawnn Marie Walters, aged 53, from Rochester, New York, was sentenced to one year of probation, including six months of home detention. The sentence was delivered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Colleen D. Holland.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright stated that the investigation began in August 2023 when law enforcement looked into a local swatting call in the Rochester area. Swatting involves making false reports of serious crimes to prompt a heavy law enforcement response to an unwitting victim’s location.
In this case, individuals falsely claimed to be someone identified as C.F., alleging they had committed a shooting at C.F.’s parents’ address. During the investigation, authorities found online conversations involving Walters discussing plans to target C.F. and her devices.
Walters agreed to help a co-conspirator gain access to C.F.’s device and subsequently access her online accounts, including her personal email account. Emails sent from this account contained threats and were distributed to multiple Monroe County Legislators and New York State Assembly members. The emails included personal details of C.F., photographs of deceased children, and threats about school shootings in New York.
The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office led by Sheriff Christopher Bourque.
