A 68-year-old Santa Monica man, Gregory John Curcio, pleaded guilty Friday to charges that he published an attorney’s home address online and urged people to “swat” her. Federal prosecutors say no one was injured, and sentencing is scheduled for August, where
When Gregory John Curcio posted a lawyer’s home address on Facebook in 2025 and pushed others to “swat” her, prosecutors said it wasn’t just online harassment—it was a direct attempt to put a federal-linked target at risk.
Curcio. a 68-year-old Santa Monica man. pleaded guilty Friday to charges that he “doxxed” an attorney who works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal prosecutors said Curcio published the attorney’s home address to Facebook and urged people to “swat” her. with “swatting” described as making a fake emergency call that prompts a law enforcement response.
In court filings, prosecutors said Curcio had been in a long-term feud with the victim’s mother. The attorney herself, prosecutors said through a statement released Friday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, never met Curcio but alleged he had harassed her family for years.
No one was injured in the incident. Still, Curcio’s case carries real consequences: he faces up to five years in federal prison at sentencing in August.
“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates our commitment to holding those accountable who endanger the safety of our federal personnel,” First Assitant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said in a statement. “Doxing is not just dangerous, it’s illegal.”
Curcio’s plea lands amid a broader national dispute over whether protesters or activists should be punished when they publish personal information tied to ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trump administration officials have repeatedly complained about “doxxing” by protesters and activists. particularly when they argue agents’ identities or locations have been exposed.
The argument turns on how prosecutors frame intent and harm. “Doxing” is only treated as a crime when federal prosecutors can prove someone published a federal employee’s protected personal information for purposes of threatening them or inciting violence.
Federal prosecutors have brought the relevant charge only five times nationwide since President Trump was reelected, a review of court records shows, and all five cases were filed in Los Angeles.
Curcio’s case also stands out because it is the first guilty plea or conviction related to such charges in several years. Last year. three anti-ICE protesters were indicted over allegations that they “doxxed” an ICE agent. but the charges were dropped after a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent admitted the women had not actually published the purported victim’s address.
Two of those defendants were later convicted of stalking charges, but a motion to dismiss the verdict is scheduled to be considered by a federal judge later this month.
As Curcio awaits August sentencing, his plea underscores the same dividing line that has shaped years of debate: whether publishing someone’s personal information is framed as protected speech—or, in prosecutors’ words, an act meant to endanger a federal employee through threats or incitement.
Santa Monica Gregory John Curcio doxxing ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facebook swatting U.S. Attorney's Office Los Angeles federal prison
Wait so he just posted an address and said swat? That’s wild.
Isn’t this like… free speech? People post stuff about ICE all the time. If nobody got hurt then why are they acting like it’s a murder case.
The article says it was an attorney’s home address, not an ICE agent, so everyone’s calling it “federal-linked” which is kinda stretching. Also the mom feud thing… ok but sounds like there’s more drama than the feds are saying. Still, swat threats are a big no, but I’m not convinced the punishment should be that high.
Everyone keeps saying “doxxing is illegal” but then half the news sites basically summarize it anyway. Like where’s the line? And why is this Trump administration complaining, didn’t they already do the whole public list of people thing too? Seems like they’re cherry-picking which side gets to share addresses. Five years feels extreme either way, but also don’t tell people to swat… come on.