Instagram/shayvictorio
Game streamers are no strangers to controversy. From PewDiePie’s offensive statements to Ninja’s public feuds, many popular streamers have become the subject of criticism and widespread gossip within the media and the gaming community. After all, fame does come at a cost, and that cost increases when someone purposely shines a spotlight on themselves and their daily life.
Because they choose to put themselves on full display, it’s really not all that surprising when a streamer winds up in the news, or for that matter, behind bars. Sometimes their crimes even happen in front of thousands of witnesses who view their streams. In these cases, it kind of makes it difficult for the streamer to defend themselves for their actions. Not only do they have to face the legal consequences, but their public indiscretions also often result in being banned from their main streaming platform.
Without further ado, here are some streamers from around the world who have been in trouble with the law. Their offenses may surprise you.
Mr. Big’s arrest nabbed two birds with one stream
YouTube/Mr_13ig
Everyone has that one neighbor, right? The one that makes a noise complaint to the police, and then — once you’re taken into custody — breaks into your house and starts stealing things. Okay, maybe that doesn’t happen to everyone, but it did happen to this gamer. And it was all seen live.
In the beginning of a video that captured the event, Twitch streamer Mr. Big can be seen arguing with a police officer. He insists that he has broken no laws, and refuses to give his personal information. The two men continue their verbal debate until the officer has had enough, and proceeds to escort Mr. Big into the hall with his hands behind his back.
Only one minute later, a young man enters the apartment and begins looting, having no idea that his actions are being broadcast online. He is seen stealing a pair of shoes and a headset, among other things. He then leaves the apartment, only to return a short time later and steal even more items. Mr. Big later identified the thief as his neighbor, Benjamin Frostrad.
Mr. Frostrad was jailed on felony charges. Meanwhile, the description of Mr. Big’s YouTube video claimed he would fight the «erroneous charges» against him. It’s not immediately apparent what those charges were, or why Mr Big was arrested in the first place. But it seems likely a man who said he’d «scream freedom all night long» did indeed fight them.
Mr. Dead Moth got violent with his partner while broadcasting
YouTube/Ashleigh Baker
Here’s an incident of a streamer getting caught in the act on a live stream. Australian Fortnite player and streamer Luke Munday, known on Twitch as «MrDeadMoth», was charged with assault after striking his pregnant partner while broadcasting.
Mr. Dead Moth was reportedly streaming live on Twitch when his partner, Clare Campbell, asked him to stop playing and come to dinner. She was four months pregnant at the time, making what came next even more disturbing, as Munday stood up angrily and reportedly slapped her off camera. News stories following the event state that Campbell was not seriously injured, but was still «shaken,» nonetheless.
Viewers were also clearly shaken by the scene, and called the police to report the violent encounter. Munday was arrested and charged with assault, to which he pleaded guilty. Unfortunately, it appears that Munday skated by with a slap on the wrist, avoiding a two-year sentence and instead receiving 14 months of community service. He was also banned from Twitch for two weeks, and his partner applied for a restraining order against him.
Rappiomatkaaja streamed from jail
YouTube/Rappiomatkaaja
Finnish gamer Rappiomatkaaja (try saying that five times fast — or even once) was allegedly known for his flagrant use of drugs and other outrageous behavior while live streaming. In 2019, Rappiomatkaaja was arrested for «causing confusion in public» at an airport, and was subsequently sent to a Cambodian prison. Though speculation suggests that the gamer’s drug habit are what got him into trouble, the details behind his arrest are incredibly vague, and the official reasons remain a mystery.
Being imprisoned didn’t stop him, however, from continuing to live stream from jail. During his streams, Rappiomatkaaja walked around the prison with his phone, exploring the environment (including a prison toilet) and interviewing his cellmates. Despite the streamer openly recording inside the prison, it appeared that the prison’s authorities couldn’t care less. Raapiomatkaaja was released in August 2019.
Whiteboy7thst was swatted into a tough spot
YouTube/Whiteboy7thst
This YouTube gamer is famous for his Call of Duty: Modern Warfare videos, but as many celebrities might tell you, fame is not always a good thing. Whiteboy7thst (whose real name is Alexander Wachs) was the victim of multiple swatting pranks, and one of them landed him in hot water.
In August 2014, police were called to Wachs’ residence after being told there was an armed, suicidal person present. When the SWAT team arrived, they found Wachs unhurt and unarmed, but with 30 grams of marijuana. Wachs and his roommate were charged with «possession with intent to deliver.» Those the charges were later dropped, however. Wachs’ defense managed to convince the court that, since the officers entered the premises on an emergency call, and without a warrant, the evidence was inadmissible.
Swatting has been a problem in the U.S. for over a decade. Nationally, police are working on a system to keep the prank calls under control. For example, the police department in Seattle is testing out an «anti-swatting registry.» With the registry, people can sign up their addresses as possible targets of swatting. Perhaps that’ll keep Wachs from experiencing more incidents like this one in the future.
Ruslan Sokolovksy went to jail for defying the Russian government
YouTube/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
While controversy does occasionally court video games in the U.S., the chance of them ever being illegal is highly unlikely. However, this is apparently not the case in Russia, where 21-year-old YouTuber Ruslan Sokolovsky was arrested and taken into police custody after posting a video of himself playing Pokemon Go inside a church.
In Russia, there are a number of laws which prohibit free speech. It is forbidden to speak against religion, or to speak out while inside a religious establishment. These particular laws were created after the famous Russian music group «Pussy Riot» performed a protest concert in an Orthodox church back in 2013, during which it criticized religion as well as Russian leader Vladamir Putin. The group’s members were later arrested for «hooliganism.»
Throughout the video, Sokolovsky sat inside a church while providing his own social commentary as he played Pokemon Go, poking fun at and insulting the Russian Orthodox religion all the while. Sokolovksy posted the video on YouTube in August 2016, and police invaded Sokolovksy’s home a month later. After many appeals, Sokolovksy was given a two-and-a-half-year sentence, and the courts ordered all of his videos to be taken down.
Shayene «sHay» Victorio was arrested for fraud and embezzlement
Instagram/shayvictorio
This Brazilian gamer — Shayene «sHay» Victorio — is well known as an esports star, streamer, and model. Her claim to fame was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which she played professionally for six years. Victorio retired from professional gaming in 2019 to start streaming, gaining over 30,000 followers on Twitch and over 100,000 on Instagram.
As The Sun reports, Victorio opened an online retail business in 2013 called megazine.net. Though the business seemed to be going strong at first, a large number of customers reported never receiving the products they ordered from the site, nor were they reimbursed. Reports were made in 2019 to the Public Ministry of the State of San Paolo in Brazil, and Victorio was charged with fraud and embezzlement and slapped with a sentence of 116 years in prison.
Although the term is a harsh one, according to ESPN, Brazil will not imprison anyone for more than thirty years. Victorio is appealing the case, and claims that the fault lies with her ex-husband, Renato Savoia, who helped her run the business at the time. According to her lawyer, Antonio Carneiro, the case is one of error and not intent, and he hopes to convince the judges to decrease the sentence.
Hampton Brandon was charged with a laundry list of crimes
Where to begin? Streamer Brandon Grosso, a.k.a. Hampton Brandon, has been in trouble a lot. According to Dexerto, his various shenanigans have resulted in him being banned from nearly all platforms, including Twitch and YouTube. The collection of charges against him is rather substantial, with public drinking, assault, and destruction of public property all reportedly making the list.
As the earlier Dexerto report outlines, in June 2018, Grosso was arrested in Austin, Texas for alleged public drinking and «assault by threat.» A month later, he was put in handcuffs by a bounty hunter who claimed that Grosso had six outstanding warrants against him. And in October 2018, a feud between Grosso and another streamer, Ebenezer Lembe (streaming name EBZ) reportedly became violent. This incident apparently began when Grosso sprayed mace on Lembe’s car and then drove off. Grosso later found Lembe again, this time allegedly holding a knife and threatening Lembe. Grosso was arrested a few hours later.
In September 2019, Dexerto reported on another live stream Grosso did with a friend, where viewers witnessed him throwing a trash can into the ocean. Police arrived quickly on the scene and arrested both young men.
It is a mystery how Grosso has been arrested multiple times and yet still keeps being released. Clearly he has yet to learn his lesson.