French Influencer Sentenced to Jail for Viral Syringe Prank Videos

On October 7, 2025, French internet personality Amine Mojito, known online as Ilan M, was sentenced to 6 months in jail and a fine by the Paris Criminal Court. Mojito, 27, was found guilty of "violence with a weapon that did not result in incapacity for work" for a series of viral videos where he tricked pedestrians by pretending to inject them with a syringe.

According to reports, the prosecution accused Mojito of encouraging a broader trend of injections at parties and music festivals in France, where dozens of women claimed they had been injected with foreign substances against their will. However, Mojito claimed in court that he was "in his own world" and "didn't know anything" about the broader issue.

"I had the very bad idea of doing these pranks by imitating what I saw on the Internet, in Spain, in Portugal," Mojito said. "I didn't think it could hurt people. That was my mistake, I didn't think about others, I thought about myself."

The prosecution had initially requested 15 months of jail time for Mojito, but he was ultimately sentenced to 12 months, with 6 months suspended. Mojito's lawyer argued that the decision "brings the debates back into more proportion" and "restores a little balance" between public order and her client's fundamental rights.