Popular YouTube content creator and celebrity boxer Jake Paul has officially had trespassing charges stemming from a 2020 looting incident dropped. Paul was previously suspected of looting during the event due to a video that he made documenting the looting of a Scottsdale, Arizona mall.
Several protests happened in 2020 as the result of George Floyd's murder and YouTube content creator Jake Paul participated in some of these protests. In the video that Paul had created at the time, he joked with looters to grab him some things, but there's no evidence that Paul stole anything during the process. Paul was able to avoid the trespassing allegations against him by pleading guilty to a lesser charge.
Jake Paul pled guilty to permitting nuisance party in addition to unlawful gathering as the result of his actions back in 2020 which were the less harsh charges Paul was facing. Paul was able to avoid two counts of criminal trespass in the 2nd degree, charges which may have resulted in the YouTuber going to jail for up to a year. Because he pled guilty to the lesser charges, Paul will have to pay a minimum fine of $500 which is a small fee for the celebrity boxer who makes millions.
Jake and Logan Paul create YouTube content, and they both protested the injustices of 2020 together, but it was only Jake that faced trespassing charges due to the video evidence he made. Until August 2021, Jake Paul faced Federal charges for the Scottsdale, Arizona mall looting, but those charges were dropped. The city of Scottsdale kept its charges against the YouTuber even after the Federal charges were dropped, causing Paul to tackle the issue by pleading guilty with the municipality.
The city of Scottsdale’s website was updated on January 20 to reflect Jake Paul's recent guilty plea which will allow the process to continue and puts the younger Paul brother's mind at ease compared to the potential jail time he may have previously faced. The protest of 2020 wasn't Paul's only run-in with the law as the FBI raided the YouTube content creator's California home in 2020 when they seized several firearms. Both Paul brothers have also had parties at their Graffiti Mansion in Los Angeles that have garnered the attention of police to a much lesser degree.
Paul recently stated that during the 2020 protests he and his crew spent the day peacefully protesting, and they weren't involved in the looting process despite the YouTube content creator making videos of the smash-and-grabs. Although the authorities were able to secure footage of celebrity boxer Jake Paul trespassing in the Scottsdale, Arizona mall, pleading guilty to reduced charges is a common technique to speed up the legal process a bit. It's currently unclear when Jake Paul has to pay Scottsdale, Arizona the $500 fine by, but the YouTube content creator likely won't be phased by the fee.
Source: City of Scottsdale