(Zobuz) – Monday, a 30-year-old YouTuber and ex-Olympic athlete was given a six-month prison term for orchestrating a fake plane disaster in order to generate attention on social media.
In November 2021, federal prosecutors in California said that Trevor Daniel Jacob had admitted to deliberately crashing his jet. The plane had many cameras installed to record its downfall.
On December 23, he allegedly promoted a sponsorship with a wallet manufacturer by posting a video to YouTube with the headline “I Crashed My Airplane.” Authorities said this.
Several commenters raised red flags about the stunt, noting that Jacob was already wearing a parachute, that he didn’t try to glide the plane to a safe landing spot, and that he took a camera and selfie stick with him when he alighted from the plane.
According to federal prosecutors in the Central District of California, Jacob was found to have lied to investigators, claiming ignorance of the wreckage’s location. Rumor has it that he lied to an FAA safety inspector as well.
Days following the accident, Jacob was instructed to preserve the site and notify the National Transportation Safety Board of its location, according to prosecutors.
On the contrary, he located the accident location and lifted the debris out of the Los Padres National Forest using a helicopter on December 10, 2021. Prosecutors stated that he then tried to obstruct the federal inquiry by dismantling and disposing of the wreckage piecemeal.
“Daredevil” behavior for the sake of social media engagement
To the charges of destruction and concealment with the purpose to hinder a federal inquiry, Jacob entered a guilty plea earlier this year.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors contended that “Jacob” committed this act due to highly questionable judgment. Jacob probably committed this crime so that he might get publicity and money from social media and the news. This sort of “daredevil” behavior, however, is intolerable.
A “series of bad choices that culminated in the offense to which he has plead guilty” and the snowboarder’s “living alone in his hanger” during the height of the coronavirus pandemic were cited by Jacob’s attorneys as reasons why the snowboarder should be sentenced to probation rather than prison time.
Jacob expressed his deepest apologies and acknowledged that he had “suffered a lot of consequences from this offense” in a letter he sent to the judge.
Jacob remarked, “I should have never gone forward with it, even though I thoroughly researched the plane route to make sure the crash would not be near human housing or trail routes.” He went on to say that the FAA has since reinstated his pilot license.
Prison time is “necessary to prevent others from attempting this type of stunt,” according to the prosecution.
Amanda Byers is a graduate of Columbia, where she played volleyball and annoyed a lot of professors. Now as Zobuz’s entertainment and Lifestyle Editor, she enjoys writing about delicious BBQ, outrageous style trends and all things Buzz worthy.
