Category Archives: Patrick McGovern-Allen

NJ Man Hired Online to Firebomb, Shoot at Homes Gets 13 Years in Prison

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A 22-year-old New Jersey man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for participating in a firebombing and a shooting at homes in Pennsylvania last year. Patrick McGovern-Allen was the subject of a Sept. 4, 2022 story here about the emergence of “violence-as-a-service” offerings, where random people from the Internet hire themselves out to perform a variety of local, physical attacks, including firebombing a home, “bricking” windows, slashing tires, or performing a drive-by shooting at someone’s residence. Continue reading NJ Man Hired Online to Firebomb, Shoot at Homes Gets 13 Years in Prison→

Botched Crypto Mugging Lands Three U.K. Men in Jail

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Three men in the United Kingdom were arrested this month after police responding to an attempted break-in at a residence stopped their car as they fled the scene. The authorities found weapons and a police uniform in the trunk, and say the trio intended to assault a local man and force him to hand over virtual currencies.  Continue reading Botched Crypto Mugging Lands Three U.K. Men in Jail→

Violence-as-a-Service: Brickings, Firebombings & Shootings for Hire

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A 21-year-old New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with stalking in connection with a federal investigation into groups of cybercriminals who are settling scores by hiring people to carry out physical attacks on their rivals. Prosecutors say the defendant recently participated in several of these schemes — including firing a handgun into a Pennsylvania home and torching a residence in another part of the state with a Molotov Cocktail. Continue reading Violence-as-a-Service: Brickings, Firebombings & Shootings for Hire→