NEW YORK: According to prosecutors, the past” Jay Mazini” on Instagram, who extorted millions of dollars from online users and a community of Muslims during the pandemic, was given a seven-year prison sentence on Wednesday.
Jebara Igbara, 28, of New Jersey, had pleaded guilty to fraud charges, admitting that he created a Ponzi scheme that involved cryptocurrency frauds netting around$ 8 million. The money, according to the prosecution, was used to support a depressing attitude that included expensive cars and a lot of betting.
Igbara allegedly used contacts in the Muslim community to snag investments for his company Hallal Capital LLC, which he claimed may profit from the sale of electronics and personal protective equipment as a result of the COVID- 19 crisis.
” Cruelly, he targeted his own spiritual group, taking advantage of their faith in him so he could spend and gamble their tough- earned money”, said Breon Peace, U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a speech.
As he networked with higher- value buyers directly, Igbara amplified his net image, reaching around 1 million Instagram followers, prosecutors said.
He grew a following in part by filming money contests and frequently handing stacks of dollars to Walmart customers who frequent fast food restaurants. In at least one picture, he handed out cash alongside musician 50 Share.
Visitors gave the impression that he was so successful that he could just pass the money. According to prosecutors, his popularity website boosted his trust among victims of fraud.
By 2020, he attracted the outrage of online spies who had boldly defrauded him, and he was enthralled when he was detained in 2021 on theft charges. He eventually admitted to kidnapping a possible testimony in another event.
But many of his subjects did move to the FBI, according to court records.
At least four persons told FBI agents they sent over$ 100, 000 in Bitcoin, on a guarantee of a money line transport, according to court records. One victim reported being scammed out of 50 Bitcoin, with Igbara first faking$ 2.56 million in a wire transfer, and later explaining away why the transfers had n’t arrived.
Before his imprisonment on Wednesday in a Brooklyn federal judge, Igbara addressed the victims of his abuse.
Following the sentencing on Wednesday in Brooklyn, attorney Jeffrey Lichtman remarked,” He apologized heavily to his subjects.
Igbara’s lawyer said his seven-year phrase for scams will work continuously with his five-year prison sentence for the kidnapping and that it will include time served since 2021.
As part of his sentence, Igbara is ordered to pay$ 10 million to his victims.
As for” Jay Mazini”, the Instagram and other social media accounts are typically scrubbed. But the story lives on in collections on YouTube, and in an instance of the 2023 video collection” The Age of Influence”.
