Johnny Somali has been sentenced to prison with labor in South Korea, according to Dexerto. A judge in South Korea sentenced a Somali on Tuesday, April 14.
Somali’s penultimate court appearance was marked by him upsetting the judge by saying the was “unfair” because another Korean streamer, Bongbong, shared the same Deepfake videos he had but was still not facing any consequences. The prosecution recommended three years behind bars with hard labor for Somali, which made his mother file a petition, asking for leniency.
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Somali will reportedly be sent to a specialized labor prison where his phone will be confiscated. He will also receive offender status.
What are the charges against Johnny Somali?
Lawyer and YouTuber Legal Mindset, who has been documenting Somali’s trial since the beginning, reported that he was found guilty of all charges. Legal Mindset wrote in an X post, “Ramsey Khalid Ismael (Johnny Somali) has been found guilty of all the charges, including the deepfakes which he plead not guilty to. GUILTY”.
Somali is facing four charges of interference of business, two charges for violating the Minor Crimes Act, and two charges of sexual violence crimes.
He is accused of having streamed himself playing offensive noises on the subway, including speeches by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He allegedly also performed lap dances on a memorial that commemorates Korea’s World War II sex slaves. He was banned from YouTube as a result of the stream.
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Somali opened up about the case in an appearance in court last month. He argued with the judge that what he did would not have gotten him in legal trouble in the United States.
“I did some foolish things under the influence of alcohol, and I realize the consequences,” he said. “I sincerely apologize for this. Having been born and raised in the United States, I did not realize how serious the consequences of these actions, which would not be illegal in the United States, could be in Korea.”
