United States: 13-year sentence for Violence-as-a-Service

In mid-October 2023, a US federal court sentenced a man to 13 years in prison. The 22-year-old had been persuaded to take part in a firebombing and shooting in Pennsylvania. He had been recruited on one of Discord’s Violence-as-a-Service groups.

The intimidation tactic involves posting an ad online offering pay for acts of violence against specific targets. Most often, this entails throwing a brick through a window or slashing tires, but it is possible to “order” much more dangerous acts. Violence-as-a-Service is increasingly popular in the United States.

The accused (or an accomplice) posted videos on Telegram where he “proved” he had carried out the attacks he was hired for. The first shows two men throwing a Molotov cocktail on a property, setting it on fire. In the second, two individuals (probably the same ones) fire several rounds into the second floor of a house. In both cases, the owners were not home.

The accused boasted of the attacks on Discord, in messages where he offered to “entertain” his “customers” with various acts of violence. Made aware of the videos, the FBI issued a warrant against the individual. Law enforcement made the arrest on August 12, 2023. The suspect pled guilty to two charges of harassment and one of unlawful discharge of a firearm.