The FBI’s raid of YouTuber Jake Paul’s Calabasas mansion on Wednesday certainly raised some eyebrows. Reports had also surfaced about the feds recently slapping the “influencer” with a tax lien, and he had drawn attention for holding a large house party during the pandemic, so speculation swirled on a number of fronts. However, the seizure of weapons from the home pointed toward what the bureau later confirmed was an investigation into “allegations of criminal acts” related to Paul’s connection to a disturbance (he was later charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly) during the looting of a Scottsdale, Arizona mall in May 2020.
Following the raid, an FBI spokesperson also noted (to ABC 7) that a Las Vegas search warrant had been executed that was related to the investigation into Paul. Later, Sin City’s local Fox affiliate confirmed that the bureau (which confirmed that the warrant was executed “in connection with an ongoing investigation”) descended upon another YouTuber’s home, known as the Graffiti Mansion:
Law enforcement with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, SWAT and FBI were seen at the home Wednesday morning, located near Buffalo Drive and Sahara Avenue. YouTuber Arman Izadi lives in the home.
Arman Izadi, along with Jake Paul and Andrew Leon, had been charged with misdemeanors in Arizona connected to the May 2020 riot/looting incident. As of now, there’s been no announcement of a warrant for any fresh arrests, but it’s worth noting that, on Wednesday, Scotsdale police confirmed that they had dismissed the local charges against Paul in connection with the Arizona riot/looting incident. As ABC 7 notes, the department decided to drop the charges without prejudice “so that a federal criminal investigation can be completed.” Following that decision, local law enforcement is now coordinating with the FBI.
For his part, Paul denied participating in looting while in attendance at the Scotsdale mall and, according to Deadline, insisted that he was “strictly documenting, not engaging.”