KC Man Sentenced to Three Years for ‘Swatting’ Phone Call That Targeted IRS Employee, Led to Lockdown

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday, May 7, to making a hoax telephone call that led to an IRS employee being detained and the IRS office on Pershing Road being locked down.

Anthony M. Alford, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Bough to three years in federal prison without parole.  The court also ordered Alford to serve supervised release for three years following his incarceration.

On Sept. 10, 2024, Alford placed a hoax telephone call to 911 in Kansas City, Missouri, claiming falsely that an individual identified in court documents as “Victim One” was armed with a firearm and was threatening to shoot up the Internal Revenue Service Building at 333 W. Pershing Road in Kansas City, Missouri. Victim One is an employee of the IRS.

Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the building, where they contacted IRS security and Federal Protective Service officers. Victim One had been detained and searched for weapons based on the 911 call. Following the 911 call, the B-Wing of the IRS building was locked down. The IRS announced that there was an active shooter in the building and told those in the B-Wing to stay locked down.

Victim One, though, was unarmed and had no intent to harm anyone. Victim One told investigators she had been dating Alford for about a month and was trying to break up with him. Alford had never been violent, she said, but had exhibited controlling, possessive, and jealous behavior. Alford had repeatedly called and messaged her the previous night, she said, and earlier that morning sent her messages threatening to involve the police. Alford messaged Victim One saying he was “[o]n the phone with IRS police have fun when you get there” and later he said “… just wait until you get to work.”

Alford was arrested on Sept. 25, 2024. Alford told investigators that Victim One did not threaten to shoot up the IRS Building, as he had said in the 911 call. He said he had been drinking alcohol and was upset when he made the false 911 call.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.