'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Omi in a Hellcat was recently arrested for being involved in a $30 million digital piracy fraud scheme. Authorities charged the YouTuber and two of his associates for illegally selling copyrighted video material to thousands of individuals.
As per prosecutors, the trio earned in millions through pirated services between March 2016 and November 2019. Omi used the majority of the money to buy new properties, dozens of cars and other expensive items.
The social media star was arrested from his Swedesboro home on Tuesday, 21 September 2021. The process of his arrest was also documented in a livestream video. The footage went viral immediately upon release, especially among the influencer’s 800,000 subscribers.
Omi in a Hellcat along with Jesse Gonzales and Michael Barone, was charged with 62-count indictments including violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, conspiracy to floute copyright rules, replication of protected work, tax invasion, fraud and money laundering.
According to the charges, Omi and his partners operated an online service that provided a library of movies and TV shows in return for a minimal fee. Subscribers paid just $15 each month to access premium video content from the platform known as Gears TV, Reboot, Reloaded or Gears Reloaded.
However, all content was reportedly stolen from reputed services like Comcast, Verizon, DirectTV, Charter and Frontier, among others. The YouTuber subscribed to authorized platforms to obtain the content.
According to The New York Times, these materials were then accessed in multiple locations across Philadelphia, California and New York using cable boxes. The group stripped copyright protections from the videos using Chinese encoders and copied the content onto computer servers.
The videos were then illegally transmitted over the internet in exchange for money. The content was streamed for Omi in a Hellcat’s own subscriber base without the permission of the original owners and creators.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bradley S. Benavides, acting head of Philadelphia’s FBI division said in a statement:
“You can’t just go and monetize someone else’s copyrighted content with impunity. Theft is theft, and if you’re going to willfully steal another party’s intellectual property, the FBI stands ready to step in and shut you down.”
Authorities have ordered Omi in a Hellcat to surrender $35 million worth of assets including dozens of houses and more than 50 expensive cars and motorbikes.
Everything about YouTuber Omi in a Hellcat amid his piracy scam case
Bill Omar Carrasquillo, aka Omi in a Hellcat, is a YouTuber, social media influencer, rapper and entrepreneur. He was born on 6 August 1986 in the United States. During an interview with Say Cheese, the 34-year-old mentioned that he started selling drugs with his father from the tender age of nine.
He reportedly had to quit school in 11th grade after he was arrested for drug peddling. Following his release, Omi started selling DVDs and working as a pizza delivery driver. He went on to develop an application called Gears TV where he resold gears bought from Amazon.
Omi in a Hellcat also launched his own IPTV application titled Gears TV Reloaded and turned into an millionaire within a year. He also invested his IPTV revenue for construction and real estate projects. He is the owner of two nightclubs called Unicas and Philly.
His biggest breakthrough came after he launched his YouTube channel in 2016. He rose to fame with his display of luxury cars including Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Porsches and McLarens, among others.
He proudly flaunted his lavish lifestyle and possession of highly expensive goods on social media. The Instagrammer also ventured into the music industry earlier this year. He released several tracks like Know The Feeling, Waste My Time, Sense and Call Back in June.
Omi in a Hellcat went on to garner a huge online following. He currently has 800K subscribers on YouTuber and one million followers on Instagram.
The Philadelphia native is married to Mimi and is a proud father of two children. However, he mostly keeps his private life out of the public eye. According to Exact Net Worth, Omi in a Hellcat has an approximate net worth of $50 million.
The social media influencer is currently making headlines after getting arrested for being the mastermind behind a $30 million digital piracy scam. The case is being considered one of the most terrific digital piracy scandals in the last decade.
However, Omi in a Hellcat already has a record of similar legal controversies in the past. His latest arrest is not surprising to fans as the YouTuber previously predicted the possibility of ending up in prison.
In 2019, the FBI raided his home and seized several items including equipment and other valuables. Following the raid, the influencer also confessed to his tax violations at the time:
“You gotta be humble in victory and humble in defeat. I’m gonna do a couple of years off of this. I’m going to go to jail for a couple of years.”
In another video from June, the content creator requested authorities not to imprison him for the charges:
“Don’t put me in jail. What the hell is that going to do? I’m not a threat to society. Let me pay off my debts, the millions of dollars that I owe you, and I’ll slap it off and then we’ll all go about our way.”
Earlier this week, Omi in a Hellcat was taken into federal custody. His attorney, Donte Mills, mentioned that the team will prove that the charges are non-applicable as no law prohibited Gears TV at the time of its operation.
Reports suggest that the YouTuber was later granted bail for $50,000. However, he is set to appear in court for a hearing towards the end of this month. He can be sentenced to lifetime imprisonment if proven guilty on all charges in the future.
