Johnny Somali reportedly pleads not guilty to deepfake charges as he could potentially serve 30+ years in South Korean jail

Johnny Somali has reportedly pleaded guilty to charges that could land him behind South Korean bars for a decades-long stint. He has reportedly pled not guilty to the new charges he faces regarding spreading deepfake videos.

The controversial internet personality, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, showed up to court at the start of his trial on May 16. Known as a "nuisance streamer," he faces six criminal charges, including two counts of obstructing a business, two counts of violating the Minor Offenses Act, and finally, two counts of violating the Special Act on Punishment of S*xual Crimes.

The American content creator, notorious for his provocative behavior, also faces one additional count of obstruction of business. Lawyer-cum-YouTuber Andrew Esquire, running the channel "Legal Mindset," revealed this in his livestream, which offered real-time updates on the trial. Now that he has pleaded guilty to the same, Johnny Somali could be looking at around 36 years in prison if implicated for the remaining charges.

Everything we know so far about Johnny Somali's legal woes

The streamer, who was previously banned from Japan and Israel, visited South Korea last year. During his time there, he disturbed the locals, interfered with businesses, and tried to instigate fellow streamers.

In one instance, he triggered a former Korean Navy SEAL officer into throwing a punch at him and knocking him out, landing the latter a fine for assault. He also disrespected a highly regarded memorial dedicated to the so-called "comfort women," sparking intense backlash across the internet.

Johnny Somali was initially hit with allegations that he distributed a deepfake video that depicted him kissing a popular local streamer, BongBong. According to Legal Mindset, a second deepfake charge has also been filed, which likely involves other Korean media personalities who feuded with the streamer online, though this remains to be confirmed.

South Korea considers distributing such material a s*x crime, and if found guilty, it carries a maximum sentence of 10.5 years. As for charges related to obstruction of business, they carry a maximum penalty of five years. In his broadcast, the YouTuber reported,

"Here are all seven charges - he is guilty on the first obstruction, guilty on Minor Crimes Act number one, guilty on Minor Crimes Act number two, guilty on obstruction number two, he has plead not guilty once again, the prosecutors are going to prove this on this deepfake count one, deepfake count two, he has plead not guilty. And Lotte World - that's the third obstruction - that's count three, and he has plead guilty on that. So, that is the update."

Legal Mindset also reported on Johnny Somali's second trial, during which the presiding judge reportedly requested evidence that the controversial figure is innocent.

"Let's see what we have from the courtroom. The judge asked for evidence of innocence of the deepfake. So the judge has just asked the lawyer, 'What evidence do you have that Johnny is guilty?' Here's what the lawyers said - the lawyer said, 'He doesn't have any evidence that Johnny is innocent.' So now, Johnny is going to have to try to find some evidence because he has no evidence of his own innocence. The victim is going to testify in the deepfake case."

Further allegations against Johnny Somali include threatening to spread HIV, promoting North Korean propaganda, and infringing on anti-terrorism laws. However, these claims have yet to bring forth formal charges, though local authorities are reportedly investigating the matter and evaluating further action.

Somali is prohibited from leaving South Korea until his trial is complete, should he be found innocent or the charges dismissed.

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