(CNN) The Justice Department has charged a Virginia man with conspiracy to make threats over "swatting" calls he made as part of an online network that targeted African Americans and Jewish people, according to an FBI affidavit.

"Swatting" is a prank call made to authorities with the express purpose of luring them to a location -- usually a home -- where they are led to believe a horrific crime has been committed or is in progress. It leads to a forceful response from local police or SWAT teams, who have no way to know the call is a hoax.

According to court records, John William Kirby Kelley, 19, was arrested and charged on Friday with conspiracy to send threats by interstate commerce.

Authorities began investigating Kelley in November 2018 when, as a student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, he anonymously called campus police saying someone armed with an AR-15 had hidden pipe bombs on campus, the affidavit says.

According to the affidavit, Kelley later called police saying he had accidentally dialed their number. ODU police identified Kelley as the caller.

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