Topline
YouTube pilot Trevor Daniel Jacob was sentenced to six months in prison Monday for destroying the wreckage of an airplane he intentionally crashed in southern California for video views, according to a statement, a ruling that comes about 5 months after Jacob pleaded guilty to a federal obstruction charge.
The sentence comes about two years after the flight and crash. (Photo Illustration by Idrees … [+]
Key Facts
Jacob, who pleaded guilty in June to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, was sentenced in California.
Jacob, 30, took flight in his airplane in late 2021 on a flight bound for Mammoth Lakes, though the experienced pilot and skydiver planned to eject from the plane and record himself parachuting as it crashed into the Los Padres National Forest, according to prosecutors.
The youtuber hiked to the wreck and recovered data containing the video recording of the flight and subsequent crash.
Jacob reported the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigated it and told Jacob to preserve the wreckage that was also probed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Jacob lied to investigators that he didn’t know the wreckage’s location despite lifting the wreckage out of the forest with a helicopter, according to prosecutors, transporting the wreckage to Lompoc City Airport and unloading it in a hangar where he destroyed the plane parts in a few days.
Key Background
Jacob’s six months in prison is well under the maximum sentence he could’ve received. The charge, destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, could have led to 20 years in federal prison.
Tangent
YouTube is no stranger to creators creating content that results in criminal charges or arrest. Alan and Alex Stokes, who run a YouTube channel together, pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and reporting false emergencies in 2021, following staged fake bank robberies in 2019. The brothers were sentenced to 160 hours of community service and one year of probation. YouTuber King Cid was charged with misusing emergency services last year over a video where police responded to a call about a vehicle that had “coke” in the car, according to NBC Miami. The officers found Coca-Cola in the car during their investigation, resulting in delayed responses to seven emergency calls, NBC Miami reported.
Further Reading
A YouTuber was shot by a man who was the target of his prank. Here are 5 other times YouTuber’s pranks ended badly. (Business Insider)
YouTuber Who Intentionally Crashed Plane Pleads Guilty, Faces 20 Years In Prison (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/12/04/youtuber-who-intentionally-crashed-plane-gets-6-months-in-prison-for-obstruction/