American YouTuber Johnny Somali (real name Ramsey Khalid Ismael), who has caused controversy with his erratic behavior such as kissing the Statue of Peace, has been sentenced to prison in the first trial and taken into custody. Somali was put on trial for causing disturbances in public places and distributing deepfake videos.
On Wednesday at around 10:00 a.m. (Korean time), Judge Park Ji-won of the Seoul Western District Court sentenced Somali to 6 months in prison and 20 days of detention for charges including obstruction of business, violation of the Minor Offenses Act, and violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (distribution of false video materials). The court also issued a 5-year employment restriction order for institutions related to children, youth, and people with disabilities. With the arrest warrant issued, Somali was taken into custody in the courtroom.
Somali appeared at the Seoul Western District Court’s main entrance around 9:50 a.m. (Korean time), wearing a black cap and sunglasses, with badges of the American and Israeli flags on his clothes. When asked if he regretted his actions, he responded, Yes, I do. He then stated that he regrets his crimes and want to apologize to the Korean people. He wants to change my life and become a better person, before heading to the courtroom.
In this trial, Somali was found guilty of all charges. Judge Park stated that the defendant denies the charge of distributing false video materials among the crimes in this case, but admits to the rest. Based on the evidence, all of the defendant’s charges are found to be guilty.
In explaining the sentencing, the court considered favorable circumstances such as some victims not wanting punishment, the victim of the false video distribution not appearing to have experienced severe sexual humiliation, and no serious harm caused to others by his other actions.
However, Judge Park noted that the defendant repeatedly committed crimes against unspecified victims primarily to gain profit through YouTube broadcasts, and broadcast these actions, showing a serious disregard for domestic law and order. The judge also took into account the concern that this could lead to similar crimes.
Immediately after the prison sentence was announced, during the arrest warrant review, Somali pleaded that he has family in his home country, and he misses them very much. He acknowledges that he must take responsibility for my crimes, but he’s young and would like a chance to start anew. He added that the trial proceedings would begin in 2025, restricting many of his actions and preventing him from engaging in behavior that could burden others. However, the court rejected this plea and issued an arrest warrant, judging that there was a risk of flight.
Somali is accused of obstructing business by interfering with ride operations while live streaming at Lotte World in Songpa-gu, Seoul, in September 2024, and causing a disturbance at a convenience store in Mapo-gu in October of the same year, including spilling cup noodle broth on an employee.
Additionally, he faced charges of repeatedly causing disturbances in public places such as streets and public transportation, as well as producing and distributing obscene videos with face-swapped content on YouTube (distribution of false video materials under the Special Act on Sexual Violence). These charges were combined with existing cases for trial. On February 27, the prosecution demanded a 3-year prison sentence and a fine of 150,000 KRW (about 102 USD).