Streamer Johnny Somali, real name Ramsey Khalid Ismael, has pled not guilty to distributing Deepfakes after showing up to his second court date.
In 2024, Somali traveled to South Korea and began causing controversy in the country just as he did in Japan and Israel.
In numerous broadcasts, he filmed himself disrupting businesses, disrespecting Korean culture, and inappropriately dancing on the Statue of Peace – a monument to the victims of sexual slavery during World War 2.
His antics led to him being arrested and charged. During his first court appearance, he showed up late and hungover. However, he pled guilty to obstruction of business for causing chaos in a 7-Eleven and two counts of the minor crimes act after he harassed people with a dead fish and “twerked” on the subway.
On May 16, Ismael had his second court appearance in which he faced more Obstruction of Business charges for and charges for allegedly creating Deepfakes – a crime that comes with a multiple penalty of 10.5 years in jail.
Johnny Somali pleads not guilty to Deepfake charges
Despite showing up late to his first court date and being warned by the judge, Somali was reportedly late again and had his lawyer looking for him in the courthouse before taking the stand.
As per YouTuber Legal Mindset, Somali faced two counts of distributing Deepfakes, but disputed these claims, pleading not guilty. However, his lawyer couldn’t provide any evidence of his innocence.
Furthermore, he pled guilty to playing music on a bus causing it to be late and causing a disruption at the theme park Lotte World that caused a ride to be shut down.
Obstruction of Business carries a maximum penalty of 5 years and with three counts, Somali is looking at a maximum of 15 years behind bars for those alone.
Each Deepfake charge carries a maximum penalty of 10.5 years, so in total, Ismael could be in jail for 36 years.
Somali’s next trial date is scheduled for August 13, 2025 and will be a full day of testimony.
This may not be the end of Somali’s charges either. Ismael is accused of threatening to spread HIV, broadcasting North Korean propaganda, and violating anti-terrorism laws.
