YouTuber Jake Paul's house has been raided by the FBI,eroticism and female imagery in nineteenth-century art linda nochlin TMZ first reported on Wednesday.
The gossip outlet reported that the feds were searching through Paul's Calabasas, California mansion and issued a search warrant to do so.
It remains unclear why, exactly, the FBI were raiding Paul's home. A representative for the FBI's Los Angeles division told Insider that the warrant affidavit was sealed, meaning they could not provide comment on the investigation. The FBI told KABC in LA that no arrests were planned.
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Photos published online by KABC showed authorities confiscating what appeared to be firearms from the home. Aerial images show what appeared to be a long gun leaned against a hot tub. From such a distance, however, it was difficult to discern if the images from KABC showed real firearms or some sort of airsoft guns. Paul has, in the past, posted videos of airsoft gun fights. He has also posted at least one video with real guns.
"We understand that a search warrant was executed at Jake's Calabasas home this morning while Jake was out-of-state," Richard Schonfeld, Paul's attorney, told TMZ. "We are still gathering information and will cooperate with the investigation."
TMZ reported that the Las Vegas home of Armani Izadi, a friend of Paul's, was also raided on Wednesday. Izadi's Vegas home, dubbed Graffiti Mansion, was the venue for Paul's chaotic (but not legally binding) wedding to fellow YouTuber Tana Mongeau. Izadi also has had serious run-ins with the law — he was previously convicted of pandering, the legal term for pimping, amid a slew of harrowing allegations.
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With some 20 million YouTube subscribers, Paul, to put it bluntly, has earned some level of infamy for insensitive comments and awful pranks. His life in the public eye has been littered with controversy, including recently being charged with trespassing after being accused of taking advantage of protests in Arizona to loot stores.
"To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism," he wrote in a statement on Twitter in May.
Scottsdale, Arizona police announced on Wednesday that it was dismissing the charges against Paul in cooperation with the FBI.
"The Scottsdale Police Department and Scottsdale City Attorney's Office are coordinating with the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona and the FBI to ensure that justice is served regarding criminal acts at Scottsdale Fashion Square on May 30, 2020," the police department said in a statement, via CNN. "It is in the best interest of the community to dismiss misdemeanor charges without prejudice so that a federal criminal investigation can be completed. Scottsdale retains the option to refile charges depending on the outcome of the federal investigation."
Paul has yet to comment on the FBI raid, but TMZ wrote in its report that it is definitely notone of the YouTuber's pranks.
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Paul has stayed in the public eye by grabbing attention at all costs. He's feuded with fellow YouTubers, held a boxing match against a fellow celeb, and, most recently, flouted social distancing best practices during the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Paul has hosted massive parties had the very same Calabasas home that was raided by the feds on Wednesday and has indicated he has no plans to stop.
"I don't know what to think of it, to be honest. I don't think anyone really does," Paul told Insider. "No one has answers, our leadership is failing us, and everyone kind of just doesn't know what to do. But I personally am not the type of person who's gonna sit around and not live my life."
UPDATE: Aug. 6, 2020, 1:14 p.m. EDT Updated with additional information from the Scottsdale Police Department.