LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A Racine man has been sentenced to 44 months in federal prison for his role in a coordinated “swatting” scheme that terrorized families across the country and put law enforcement officers in harm’s way.
23-year-old Kya Christian Nelson pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy and computer intrusion charges after investigators say he and others hacked into home security systems– specifically Ring doorbell cameras— and staged fake emergency scenarios designed to trigger armed police responses.
The week-long spree occurred between November 7 and 13, 2020, and targeted homes in multiple states, including California and Florida. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nelson and his co-conspirators began by obtaining usernames and passwords from victims’ comprised Yahoo email accounts, which they then used to access linked Ring accounts.
One inside the victim’s Ring systems, Nelson would make fake 911 calls reporting shootings or hostage situations. As law enforcement arrived, he would watch the response through the doorbell camera and, in some cases, verbally harass officers through the built-in speakers. Authorities say Nelson also livestreamed some of the police responses on social media platforms, treating real emergencies as online entertainment.
In one case in West Covina, California, Nelson impersonated a child claiming his parents were drunk and firing guns inside the home. Police responded with weapons drawn, removing residents at gunpoint– only to learn the report was a hoax.
Three days later in Oxnard, California, Nelson pulled a similar stunt, reporting a gunman inside a home and later calling in fake gunshots. Again, officers arrived and cleared the residence with force, unaware they were being watched and mocked through the victim’s hacked Ring camera.
The case has sparked renewed concerns over cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the growing use of technology in criminal schemes.
Nelson had already been serving time in Kentucky for an unrelated conviction and has been in federal custody since August 2024.
Prosecutors say the scheme put innocent lives at risk for entertainment. One co-conspirator, 22-year-old James Thomas Andrew McCarty of Arizona, was sentenced to seven years in prison last year for his role in the same operation, June 2024. In a separate incident, McCarty used similar methods to fake a murder and hostage situation in Florida, prompting a SWAT response and later bragging online about the prank.
The FBI led the investigation with assistance from cybercrime units and local police departments affected by the calls.
Nelson was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt in Los Angeles. In addition to prison time, he was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
“Nelson and his co-conspirators went on a digital crime spree, terrorizing innocent people around the country from behind their keyboards,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “While Nelson was safe behind his keyboard, he subjected others to real danger.”
Officials say the case highlights the importance of securing personal accounts with strong, unique passwords– and the potential consequences of weaponizing technology for entertainment.
