Feds Charge Man With Making Hundreds Of Crank 911 Calls

HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) — U.S. attorneys have filed criminal charges against a San Francisco Bay Area man who they say made hundreds of threatening and harassing phone calls to police departments in 18 states.

The East Bay Times reports Sammy Sultan, of Hayward, faces five years in prison if convicted of making obscene or harassing calls and violating interstate communications. Authorities say the calls occurred between February 2015 and August 2016.

The calls included death threats and fake hostage calls. The affidavit says Sultan would say he'd recently escaped a mental institution, had weapons in his possession, and that he wouldn't hurt anyone if the dispatcher listened to him.

Sultan was released on $5,000 bond, on the condition he not make calls to police agencies except for emergencies. He was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Hayward