Ashton Lundeby, age 16, was taken from his North Carolina home by armed FBI agents and other law enforcement officials, on March 5, 2009. Lundeby was arrested for "making numerous bomb threats," according to his mother. After an extensive search of Lundeby's home no evidence was found. Lundeby was taken to a juvenile facility in Indiana.World Net Daily: Teen homeschooler jailed under Patriot Act (May 6, 2009)
Lundeby said her son's constitutional rights were stripped under the Patriot Act. As of May 6, 2009, Lundeby was still being held. His mother said a hearing was scheduled for late May.World Net Daily: Teen homeschooler jailed under Patriot Act (May 6, 2009) The U.S. Attorney's office to issue a statement on May 7, saying that Lundeby had been charged under a long-standing law against making threats and that his case was "unrelated to the Patriot Act".Fox News: Mom Outraged by Son's Arrest Reportedly Knew of His Web Stardom (May 8, 2009)
Bully For Sale
According to a report by Wired News Ashton Lundeby was an online tech superstar known in rouge tech circles as "Tyrone". Lundeby, as "Tyrone", allegedly sold his bullying service to schoolchildren across the country, charging them a $5 fee to make threatening prank phone calls over the Internet. Some of the phone calls resulted in schools being closed by school administrators. Later, Lundeby allegedly began calling in bomb threats for customers who paid him via a Paypal account. Videos of Lundeby harassing people are available for viewing on YouTube. Ashton's mother, Annette Lundeby, told Wired News, "I heard the prank phone calls he made. They were really funny prank calls," which contradicts a previous statement made by Mrs. Lundeby that claimed her son was the victim of IP hackers.Fox News: Mom Outraged by Son's Arrest Reportedly Knew of His Web Stardom (May 8, 2009)
