Federal prosecutors secured a guilty plea from Evan Strauss for orchestrating false emergency calls that sparked massive police responses. The 27-year-old Virginia resident worked with an online group called Purgatory to target schools and airports between December 2023 and January 2024. Strauss admitted to conspiracy, cyberstalking, and making terrorist threats against multiple facilities. His actions forced Newark High School into lockdown after he reported fake shootings while accomplices threatened students and teachers. The group also triggered emergency responses at Albany International Airport through false bomb reports.
Strauss coordinated these attacks using internet phone services to mask his identity during the month-long campaign. His conspirators targeted an Alabama trailer park with arson and murder threats against police officers. Two group members from Ohio and Maryland previously accepted plea agreements for their participation in the scheme. Strauss faces potential decades in prison with sentences reaching ten years for destruction threats and five years for other charges. His November sentencing will determine the final punishment for these coordinated attacks on public safety.
Strauss coordinated these attacks using internet phone services to mask his identity during the month-long campaign. His conspirators targeted an Alabama trailer park with arson and murder threats against police officers. Two group members from Ohio and Maryland previously accepted plea agreements for their participation in the scheme. Strauss faces potential decades in prison with sentences reaching ten years for destruction threats and five years for other charges. His November sentencing will determine the final punishment for these coordinated attacks on public safety.
