Defendant Sentenced for Online Threats

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Austin Ryan Steinbart, 30, of Chandler, Arizona, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to a sentence of time served. At the time of sentencing, Steinbart had served 225 days in prison. Steinbart previously pleaded guilty to Interstate Communications with Intent to Extort, a Class E felony.

Between March 21 and 23, 2020, Steinbart made threats to degrade and destroy the operations of a file storage and file sharing company through videos and posts on his YouTube channel after the company suspended his account. Steinbart directed his thousands of YouTube subscribers to flood the company’s tech support line with fictitious emails and phone calls in an attempt to hinder the company’s ability to operate.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-20-0485-PHX-SPL  
RELEASE NUMBER:    2021-021_Steinbart

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ 
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.