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From staged crimes to chilling real-world violence, some influencers have taken their online fame down a dark path. These notorious acts reveal just how far some creators have gone to capture attention—putting public safety, trust, and even lives at risk in the pursuit of viral fame. Brace yourself for jaw-dropping tales of fraud, abuse, and reckless stunts that shocked the internet and landed these figures behind bars.
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00:00Go to our GMA exclusive with the eldest daughter of mom influencer Ruby Frankie who pleaded guilty
00:05to child abuse last year. Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're looking at the 10 most notorious
00:10times that popular influencers broke the law. Ramona Boss also known as Hush Puppy was responsible
00:17for a number of business email compromise scams. Alan and Alex Stokes. They are twins who became
00:24YouTube stars by pulling pranks but cops say this time they went too far. Internet pranksters often
00:31push the envelope but the Stokes twins crossed the line. Chasing clicks in 2019 the brotherly duo
00:36orchestrated a fake bank robbery. The Stokes hailed a real uber for their supposed getaway decked out
00:42in ski masks and hauling duffel bags allegedly stuffed with cash. A terrified bystander thought
00:47a genuine heist was underway and dialed 9-1-1. If you're engaging in criminal activity in order to
00:54increase your ratings or increase your sensationalism on YouTube and you cross the line and violate the
01:00law you're going to be prosecuted. Thanks to this foolish stunt confused officers drew their weapons
01:05on the unsuspecting and completely innocent uber driver. Fortunately nobody was hurt. The brothers
01:11eventually pled guilty to false imprisonment and reporting a bogus emergency receiving community
01:16service and probation. It goes to show that chasing internet clout can carry very real and potentially
01:21deadly consequences when public safety is treated as a punchline. The prank happened last October but the
01:27twins were just charged with false imprisonment and falsely reporting an emergency. Katie Sorenson. The
01:33momfluencer Katie Sorenson learning her sentence for falsely claiming a couple tried to kidnap her kids. The
01:40mommy vlogging sphere imploded over this bizarre controversy. Back in 2020 California influencer Katie Sorenson
01:47uploaded a tearful Instagram video asserting that a Latino couple tried to snatch her young children.
01:52Her terrifying narrative spread like wildfire and sparked intense outrage. There was just one massive
01:58problem. She made the whole thing up. She thought we were easy targets and unfortunately she was wrong.
02:05Detectives reviewed parking lot security footage and interviewed the bewildered couple that she falsely
02:09accused quickly debunking the dramatic tale. Sorenson's destructive lie caught up with her in 2023 when a jury
02:16convicted her of making a false crime report. Earning 90 days in jail with probation and bias training. She learned
02:22the hard way that manufacturing trauma for engagement metrics actually destroys real lives. During her
02:27probation Sorenson was ordered not to have any social media presence and to complete implicit bias training. Sadie and
02:33Eddie say that they feel for Sorenson's children as she heads for jail but they hope that she'll learn a
02:38lesson that
02:38she'll be remorseful after she comes out. Trevor Jacob. We're back now with an ABC News exclusive with the former
02:45Olympian and YouTuber who pled guilty to intentionally crashing his plane. Now he's headed to federal
02:51prison. Wrecking an entire aircraft just for YouTube views is next level narcissism. Former Olympic
02:57snowboarder Trevor Jacob posted a video showing his small plane experiencing sudden engine failure mid-flight.
03:03Fans watched him dramatically parachute out while the pilotless craft spiraled into the rugged California
03:08wilderness. When I jumped out of the plane I jumped and I'm like you just made the biggest mistake of
03:13your life.
03:14The spectacular footage racked up millions of clicks but the feds weren't buying it. Aviation experts
03:19deduced that Jacob deliberately staged the disaster to satisfy a lucrative sponsorship deal. Making
03:25matters worse he later hiked back to the crash site chopped up the plane and disposed of the wreckage
03:30to thwart authorities. By 2023 his reckless stunt landed him a six-month federal prison sentence for
03:36obstructing a federal investigation. No precaution that this man put into effect overrides the ridiculousness
03:42and illegality of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Somebody could be out hiking and get killed by an
03:47airplane falling out of the sky. Heather Morgan. The department has charged Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather
03:53Morgan for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to launder stolen cryptocurrency taken during the 2016 hack of a
04:02virtual currency exchange. Operating under the cringy alias Razzlecon, Heather Morgan cultivated the
04:08persona of a quirky tech entrepreneur. Nobody watching her bizarre music videos suspected that she
04:14was secretly entangled in one of modern history's largest financial crimes. Alongside her husband,
04:19Morgan spent years systematically laundering billions of dollars in stolen cryptocurrency.
04:24I logged into my account and noticed that my entire account had been drained. I was crying and sweating.
04:31While she posted obnoxious TikToks about being a corporate girl boss, the couple bounced digital
04:36assets through countless dark web accounts. But federal agents eventually untangled their complicated
04:41blockchain web and they were arrested in February 2022. Morgan pled guilty to serious conspiracy charges
04:47and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her absurd online footprint remains a truly surreal contrast to the
04:54jaw-dropping scale of her hidden underworld enterprise. I think what it tells us is that we're at a crossroads
04:59when it comes to cryptocurrency. We have to be focused on the use of crypto to hide ill-gotten gains,
05:06to
05:07launder money, to hide proceeds. Jabara Igbara. Ladies and gentlemen, today we are uncovering quite possibly
05:13the largest giveaway scam in history. And the crazy thing is that it's still going on right now as we
05:21speak.
05:21Going by the name Jay Mazzini, Jabara Igbara rocketed to Instagram fame through extreme generosity.
05:27He constantly filmed himself handing thick stacks of cash to fast food employees and random pedestrians,
05:33cultivating the image of an ultra-wealthy philanthropist. Sadly, that charitable facade was
05:37merely a predatory trap designed to earn his followers unwavering trust. We accidentally put an
05:43influencer in jail and today I want to tell you the story of how it happened. Igbara mercilessly weaponized that
05:48goodwill, launching an elaborate crypto scheme that swindled his own fans out of eight million dollars.
05:54Shockingly, his descent into criminality went far beyond white collar theft. You see, he also hired
06:00thugs to kidnap a man who had been accusing him of fraud online. In 2024, the disgraced former
06:05influencer was slapped with a seven-year sentence in federal prison. And finally today I can say it's
06:09no longer alleged he said he did it. And now he faces serious prison time for his scam.
06:15Austin Jones.
06:16Authorities say both of the alleged victims told Jones how old they were. One of them allegedly sent
06:22him 15 videos, the other 25.
06:25YouTube was once the ultimate launchpad for aspiring musicians. Austin Jones took full advantage,
06:31building a massive fan base through his popular acapella covers. But beneath the quirky musical talent
06:36lurked a calculating predator. Jones ruthlessly exploited his minor internet celebrity status to
06:41target his underage female fans, often pressuring them into filming explicit videos of themselves.
06:46Prosecutors say from 2016 to 2017 he used his celebrity status to manipulate teenage girls who
06:54are fans of him. The FBI eventually uncovered his sickening digital abuse and in 2019 the disgraced
06:59singer pled guilty to a serious federal charge. Jones traded his recording microphone for a prison
07:05jumpsuit, receiving a 10-year sentence for victimizing the very fans who idolized him.
07:09Federal prosecutors wanted 11 years in prison. The defense attorney here said five would be
07:14appropriate. The judge splitting the difference, sentencing him to 10 years behind bars. Like you
07:20said, very emotional day in court today. Ramona Bas. It seems like he was connected to several
07:26different flavors of scams, one of which was business emo compromise, which is the most lucrative
07:32internet scam that exists. To his sprawling legion of followers, Hushpuppy was living the high life.
07:38Broadcasting from Dubai, he flaunted fleets of cars, private jets, and bespoke designer suits.
07:43Yet Ramona Bas wasn't some visionary real estate mogul or genius investor. He was secretly the linchpin of
07:49an aggressive cybercrime syndicate. Olimari would connect up with Hushpuppy, ask him if he had any bank
07:55accounts, and when a big BE score was about to happen, Hushpuppy would provide a bank account that could
08:00receive millions of dollars that were about to be transferred out of a company.
08:04Abbas helped orchestrate many scams and cyber heists, draining tens of millions from schools,
08:09law firms, and unsuspecting citizens around the world. Ironically, his insatiable need to post his
08:15ill-gotten wealth gave detectives the very breadcrumbs they needed to track him down.
08:19A US judge slapped him with an 11-year prison sentence in 2022, proving that digital flexing can
08:24sometimes lead straight into a jail cell.
08:26Cybercrime is not a problem of Nigeria or for Nigeria. It's a problem from every part of the world.
08:36We need a global cybercrime law. If we have a law, and we also have global law enforcement agencies,
08:44then we are moving towards managing cybercrime.
08:48Ali Abulaban.
08:49Someone who was trying to be funny, impersonating violent killers,
08:55and then ultimately became one of those killers.
08:58TikTok audiences knew Ali Abulaban as Jin Kid, a creator beloved for his comedic impressions.
09:04He often imitated Tony Montana from Scarface, and that explosive cinematic rage eventually
09:09manifested in his real life. During a bitter marital separation in 2021, Abulaban covertly loaded
09:15spying software onto his young daughter's iPad so he could eavesdrop on his estranged wife.
09:19He downloads an app onto his daughter's iPad so he can listen in to whatever's going on within
09:24the apartment, and then he leaves.
09:27After hearing her laughing with another man, the enraged influencer rushed straight to her apartment
09:32and shot them both in cold blood. A jury found the former comedian guilty of two counts of first-degree
09:37murder in 2024, and he was given life in prison without parole. The senseless double homicide
09:42shattered two families and left his innocent child without parents.
09:55Ruby Frankie.
09:56Was the Utah mommy influencer known for her no-nonsense parenting?
10:01I'm only gonna say it one more time, and then you're gonna lose the privilege to eat dinner.
10:05YouTube family vlogs often face ethical scrutiny, but the Eight Passengers channel hid some genuine
10:10atrocities. Matriarch Ruby Frankie broadcasted strict parenting advice to millions of subscribers,
10:16projecting an aura of tough love righteousness. In reality, her home was a house of horrors.
10:22I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help,
10:27and he said he just came from a neighbor's house. He's emaciated, he's got tape around his leg.
10:35Partnering with disgraced therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, Frankie often starved and
10:39physically abused her children. The grim facade completely collapsed in 2023 when her emaciated
10:45and duct-taped son climbed out a window and ran to a neighbor's house. Both Frankie and Hildebrandt
10:50pled guilty to aggravated child abuse charges. Frankie's downfall exposed the blind spots within
10:55the realm of family influencer content, and she was given a sentence of 4 to 30 years.
10:59Both women pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse against the two youngest children,
11:05but not Sherry, and will serve at least four years in prison.
11:09Trey Sesler
11:10In the home just half a block away from Waller ISD administration and Waller Junior High,
11:16reports say Trey Sesler was planning a Columbine-style attack on an unnamed school.
11:21And here we come to the deeply unsettling tale of Mr. Anime. Operating as an early YouTube pioneer,
11:27Trey Sesler cultivated a niche audience by mixing straightforward cartoon reviews with weapons
11:32demonstrations. Fans soon noticed that his behavior was growing increasingly erratic,
11:37but nobody predicted the bloodshed that was to come.
11:39We have a chilling video confession tonight from Trey Sesler,
11:43the young Montgomery County man who killed his family.
11:46In 2012, Sesler's violent tendencies exploded when he grabbed a rifle and murdered his mother,
11:51father, and older brother inside their Texas home. Upon his arrest,
11:55the killer admitted that he was planning a school shooting, and that he murdered his family to
11:58prevent the shame and public backlash of his actions. The former creator is now serving life
12:03behind bars without parole.
12:05I was thinking, well, you know, I could creep across the field and open up on the home stand,
12:13and uh, probably cause more mayhem with people trying to get away.
12:20Do you remember when these stories broke? Let us know in the comments below.
12:24Do you remember when we input up? Let us know in the comments below.
12:27Do you remember when you looked at us? But I per act at us in the comments below.
12:31I feel like it was good even if you did able to understand us?
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