Social media influencer Jay Mazini was arrested and charged with wire fraud on Wednesday (March 24) for allegedly scamming his followers out of $2.5 million in Bitcoin. Mazini went viral in 2020 for a video of him and 50 Cent handing out stacks of cash to Burger King workers at the start of the pandemic.
A federal complaint against Mazini, real name Jegara Igbara, told his Instagram followers to send him Bitcoin in exchange for cash via wire transfer, which were never sent. FBI Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney released a statement regarding Jay Mazini's arrest.
Sweeney stated, "As we allege, Igbara's social media persona served as a backdrop for enticing victims to sell him their Bitcoin at attractive, but inflated, values. A behind-the-scenes look, however, revealed things aren't always as they seem. There was nothing philanthropic about the Bitcoin transactions Igbara engaged in with his victims. A quick search of the Interwebs today will reveal an entirely different image of this multimillion-dollar scammer."
Mazini is currently being held in New Jersey before making his first court appearance at an undetermined date in the Eastern District of New York.
Source: Buzzfeed News
