10 Influencers Who Turned to Crime

Jack Allen

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Armed with multiple Instagram accounts and a YouTube channel called “The Masked Gang Man,” Jack Allen used his clout to shill knock-off merchandise to his audience. Hidden beneath a mask to hide his identity, he promoted fake Omega watches, Beats, and Versace, among other luxury goods. Allen managed to make some $18,000 from his hometown in Castleford, England before the cops came for the counterfeit merchant in 2021. In 2022, Allen pleaded guilty to two charges. He was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail, which was suspended for 12 months. Allen also had to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work and was given a surcharge of about $150.

In 2023, England’s Bacari-Bronze O'Garro, better known as Mizzy, drew the ire of the public with stunts such as walking into a stranger’s house, stealing a woman’s dog, and entering a train cab. Due to sharing videos of people online without their consent, the practical joker was taken in front of a judge and was banned from interacting on social media. However, shortly after, he broke this rule and was arrested. O'Garro was found guilty of two counts of breaching a criminal behavior order and was sentenced to 18 weeks in a young offender's institution. Upon his release six weeks later, O'Garro apologized for his behavior.

Not many influencers have a dedicated Instagram account calling out their scams, but Casey Olivera, also called Dana Chanel, is an exception. She’s known as a Christian influencer who promotes exercise and natural cures. On top of this, Olivera also ran Alakazam Apps, a mobile app creation group, and credit repair company Credit Exterminators. However, several customers who used her services weren’t given what they were promised. This even included a non-profit organization that lost thousands of dollars. After attempting to get a refund and getting nowhere, they took Olivera to court for fraud. Olivera and her companies were ordered to pay the robbed customers $87,269.91, $31,000 in legal fees, and $6,000 in civil penalties.

In 2016, a group of far-right Donald Trump supporters attempted to use the internet to convince people to vote for him in the US Presidential election. Douglass Mackey was one such supporter. He created several social media accounts under the Ricky Vaughn name and pushed agendas against Hilary Clinton. This led to Mackey creating official election-looking memes claiming that people could text their vote for Clinton, which wasn’t true. Around 4,900 people used the false service. In 2021, Mackey was arrested for voter suppression. In 2023, he was found guilty of Conspiracy Against Rights and was sentenced to seven months in jail. Mackey’s supporters have falsely claimed he was imprisoned due to sharing anti-Clinton memes.

Also known as Danny Devan, Denish Sahadevan from Rockville, Maryland, ran a TikTok that explored stocks and cryptocurrency, giving tips to his audience. However, in 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was issued to financially support folks during the pandemic. While many used the service to stay afloat, Sahadevan saw it as an opportunity to make himself rich. He fabricated forms to score himself a total of over $1.2 million in loans. Sahadevan then laundered the cash through trading and purchasing cryptocurrency. In 2023, the scammer pleaded guilty to several charges, including wire fraud and identity theft. Sahadevan was sentenced to three years in jail, followed by three years of supervision, and had to return $429,906.

Tim Gionet

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Before 2016, Tim Gionet, also known as Baked Alaska, worked as a comedy rapper and briefly at BuzzFeed. But after leaving the firm, his far-right views quickly escalated as he vocally supported Donald Trump. Gionet became a prominent face of the conspiracy movement online, often touting racist and antisemitic views to his audience, causing him to get banned from several platforms and face legal issues. In 2021, Gionet live-streamed his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. This backfired badly, as the FBI reportedly used his video to identify those involved. In 2022, Gionet pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing inside a Capitol building. In 2023, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

In 2021, snowboard athlete and YouTuber Trevor Jacob was flying his plane in California when the engine, apparently, stopped. Seeing no option, he jumped from the aircraft with a parachute, leaving the plane to crash. Thankfully, no one was hurt. But when Jacob uploaded the video to his channel and it went viral, the aviation community noted some concerns with Jacob’s explanation. To them, it looked like he did this as a publicity stunt. After an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, they concluded Jacob purposely crashed his plane and removed the wreckage to hide evidence. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to obstructing an investigation and admitted the stunt was a paid promotion. Jacob was sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Under the YouTube channels RossCreations and Vlog Creations, Charles Ross became infamous for his practical joke videos. Over the years, he’s pushed his content too far, causing him to run afoul of the law. In 2013, Ross was charged with battery after giving strangers wedgies and handed six months of prohibition, which was ended after three months. In 2019, he went too far again in Sarasota, Florida. Ross pretended to be a police officer as he tried to give a woman a parking ticket. When she called him out on his impersonation, Ross reportedly got angry before attempting to offer her concert tickets. As part of a plea deal, Ross was sentenced to six months of probation.

Rising to fame on Instagram with his extravagant lifestyle, Ramon Abbas, better known as Hushpuppi, sparked envy with his posts from private jets, meeting celebrities, and being decked out in designer brands. The Nigerian influencer seemingly had all the cash in the world from being a real estate developer. Yet, as it turned out, that wasn’t how Abbas made his fortune. In reality, he was using fraud, money laundering, and scams to acquire his millions. In 2020, Abbas was raided at his property in Dubai, UAE, and was arrested. In 2022, after being extradited to the US and pleading guilty to his crimes, Abbas was sentenced to 11 years in jail and ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution to two victims.

On the surface, Danielle Miller seemingly had it all. Through her social media accounts, she posted images of her lavish lifestyle, showcasing pricey cars, designer goods, and high-end trips to her thousands of followers. But Miller didn’t get her fortune from her successful lawyer father. Instead, she took advantage of various Covid-19 relief funds. Miller stole the identities of more than 10 people and created fake businesses to acquire around $1.5 million from the government. She then used the cash to fund private jets and rent luxury apartments. In 2023, after the self-confessed con artist pleaded guilty to several counts, Miller was sentenced to five years in jail and ordered to return the luxury goods she had fraudulently bought. Which influencer’s non-violent crime did we miss? The Modou Adams smuggling case? Katie Sigmond hitting golf balls into the Grand Canyon? Or something else? Let us know below!