YouTuber LeTeBeo Jacob Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison
Deliberately Crashed Plane to Increase Views
A YouTuber who deliberately crashed an airplane to increase the number of subscribers (viewers) on his YouTube channel was ultimately sentenced to six months in prison.
A video of Trevor Jacob's intentional crash uploaded on his YouTube channel. [Photo by YouTube 'TrevorJacob']
On the 4th (local time), the U.S. federal prosecutors announced that they had sentenced YouTuber Trevor Jacob, who also competed as a member of the U.S. national team in the snowboarding event at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, to six months in prison.
YouTuber Trevor Jacob is accused of deliberately crashing an airplane while flying in Santa Barbara County on November 24, 2021. Afterwards, he collected and disposed of the wreckage to hide evidence.
According to the Department of Justice, Jacob posted a video titled "I Crashed My Plane" on December 23, which showed him parachuting from the airplane and the subsequent crash of the plane. Jacob reportedly planned to use this video for a sponsorship deal with an anonymous wallet-making company. The original video has since been removed from YouTube, but copies remain.
Trevor Jacob's intentional crash video uploaded on his YouTube channel. [Photo by YouTube 'TrevorJacob']
This dramatic video, viewed millions of times on YouTube, shows the then 30-year-old Jacob escaping from a single-engine airplane holding a selfie stick and parachuting down into the dense foliage of Los Padres National Forest.
Since the video was released, skeptical netizens have consistently claimed it was staged. In April 2022, Jacob had his pilot’s license revoked, and on June 30, he pleaded guilty to charges of deliberately destroying the airplane and hiding evidence. Subsequent reports indicated he could face up to 20 years in prison, but he was sentenced to six months on this day.
In a statement released through his lawyer, Jacob said, "I am grateful to the judicial authorities. I have learned more about myself than from everything I have experienced in my life so far. I have learned from my mistakes and look forward to being a contributing member of society and a mentor to youth." He added, "I am glad to be able to continue positive growth as a person through six months of incarceration."
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