How Does A Blind Teenage “Swatter” Get 11 Years In Jail?

Matt Weigman, “a fat, lonely blind kid”, received an 11-year jail sentence at age 19 for using the 911 phone service to harass and attack his enemies (including the FBI!). But how does a kid come to such a fate?

It’s a fascinating story—growing up poor, blind, picked-on, with an awful home life and no social outlet, Weigman latched onto party lines as a way to be somebody else. That somebody turned out to be vindictive, crass, exploitative, manipulative and without conscience, but also with a unique and incredible set of skills. The kid pretty much had AT&T, Verizon and an FBI investigative team wrapped around his finger, all from his bedroom in East Boston, and you sort of get the sense that had he not had a bit of a breakdown, he might never have been caught. Read the full article at Rolling Stone. [Rolling Stone]