Former Instagram Influencer “Jay Mazini” Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Swindling Millions from Followers and Muslims During Pandemic
Former Instagram influencer “Jay Mazini” sentenced to seven years in prison for swindling millions from followers
The former Instagram influencer known as “Jay Mazini,” whose real name is Jebara Igbara, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding millions of dollars from online followers and a network of Muslims during the pandemic. Igbara, 28, of New Jersey, pleaded guilty to fraud charges, admitting to creating a Ponzi scheme that involved cryptocurrency frauds totaling around $8 million.
Exploiting the economic chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, Igbara leveraged connections in the Muslim community to gather investments for his firm Hallal Capital LLC, promising returns on stocks and the reselling of electronics and personal protective equipment. However, prosecutors revealed that the money funded a lavish lifestyle that included luxury cars and gambling.
“He targeted his own religious community, taking advantage of their trust in him so he could spend and gamble their hard-earned money,” said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Igbara built a massive online following of around 1 million Instagram followers by filming cash giveaways, where he would hand out money to fast food workers and everyday people. This persona of generosity and success earned him even more trust from his victims.
Despite his online popularity, Igbara attracted the attention of online sleuths in 2020 who accused him of fraud. He was later arrested in 2021 on kidnapping charges and admitted to kidnapping a potential witness to his frauds.
During his sentencing, Igbara apologized to his victims, and his lawyer stated that he would pay $10 million in restitution. His seven-year sentence for fraud will run concurrently with a five-year prison sentence for kidnapping.
While Igbara’s social media accounts have been mostly scrubbed, his story lives on in documentaries and online compilations. The saga of “Jay Mazini” serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of online fraud and the importance of due diligence when investing.
