Controversial streamer Johnny Somali to face up to 31 years of prison in South Korea: All the charges discussed

Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, has been hit with a second count for distributing fake videos in the form of Deepfakes, which is considered a s*x crime in South Korea, as per the YouTube lawyer Legal Mindset.

This is not the first time he has been found guilty; previously, he pleaded guilty to one count of Obstruction of Business and two counts of violating the Minor Offenses Act. The initial Deepfake video depicted him kissing a Korean streamer.

With the fresh charge of one more Deepfake, filed in May 2025, involving another creator, the streamer could be facing 31 years of prison in South Korea.

Details of the charges faced by the controversial streamer Johnny Somali

Johnny Somali is known as a notorious streamer as he is often caught for involvement in disruptive public behavior, which he streams for his audiences. His behavior has also gotten him arrested and detained in many countries.

As per Dexerto, on May 8, 2025, Johnny was charged with a second s*x crime. He is accused of distributing a non-consensual deepfake video, involving a South Korean content creator with whom Johnny had previous online disputes. This charge could add more than 10 years to the other charges he is facing.

Johnny has previously pleaded guilty to one charge of Obstruction of Business. He had admitted to disrupting a convenience store, spilling ramen, and verbally abusing the staff in October 2024, in Western Seoul, as per Korea JoongAng Daily. This charge carries a maximum penalty of five years.

Johnny was previously also facing a single charge of displaying a deepfake video, in which he deceived himself kissing a South Korean streamer, BongBong. Deepfakes carry a penalty of 10.5 years in jail. Now, if Johnny is found guilty of both counts, he would be facing 21 years in jail.

Other than creating Deepfakes, there are other charges against him, including two counts of Obstruction of Business and two violations of the Minor Offenses Act, which involve public disturbances, such as playing loud music, and inappropriate conduct on public transport.

Overall, if he is found guilty of all charges and gets the maximum sentencing, then that would be a total of 31 years behind bars.

As per Dexerto, he has also been accused of violating anti-terrorism laws and threatening to spread HIV. This is also not the first time he has displayed problematic behavior. Before Korea, Johnny travelled to Japan, where he had trolled Japanese streamers, made racial insults, and mocked tragedies, including the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

He had also been a nuisance when he travelled to Israel. He had confronted Arabs and Jews there, and was also detained for s*xually harrasing a female officer. These were some of Johnny's controversial and disruptive behaviours. The trial date is May 16, 2025, at the Seoul Western District Court.

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