Internet personality Jake Paul arrives at the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2017. FBI agents including a SWAT team have raided the apparent home of YouTube star Jake Paul. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller says agents executed a search warrant Wednesday at the Calabasas, California mansion in connection with an ongoing investigation. She could not say what the probe is about or who the target was. Helicopter video from local TV news showed agents gathering guns from the home that can frequently be seen on Paul's YouTube channel, which has over 20 million followers. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
By Andrew Dalton
FBI agents including a SWAT team served a search warrant at the home of YouTube star Jake Paul on Wednesday.
The FBI executed the search warrant starting at 6 a.m. at the Calabasas, California mansion in connection with an ongoing investigation, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said in a statement.
A judge has sealed the search-warrant affidavit and Eimiller said she could not reveal the nature of the investigation or the person it was served on.
The City of Calabasas said in a statement on its social media pages that it was Paul's home that was being raided by the FBI, which was using the city hall parking lot as a staging area.
Video from local television news helicopters showed agents gathering several rifles from the sprawling property with a boxing ring and hot tub in the backyard that appears in many of Paul's recent YouTube videos.
A SWAT team initially entered the property, Eimiller said. No arrests were made.
Email messages left with representatives for Paul seeking comment on the raid were not immediately returned.
Paul, 23, has over 20 million followers on his YouTube channel, which features stunts, pranks, stories from his personal life, and more recently music videos.
He rose to fame on the short video app Vine and spent two years as an actor on the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark.
His older brother, Logan Paul, has a similar YouTube channel with even more followers.
Neighbors have complained to media outlets for several years about the stunts Jake Paul has pulled on the property for his YouTube channel.
Last month, Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub harshly criticized him after video emerged of dozens of people at a party at his home amid the coronavirus outbreak, with no apparent masks or social distancing.
In June, he was charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly by police in Scottsdale, Arizona when he appeared on video inside a mall that a big crowd of people had broken into, looting stores.
Paul said in a subsequent YouTube video that he had only been looking for people protesting the death of George Floyd, and did not take part in any of the destruction.
Jurors on Wednesday convicted the three white men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was chased and fatally shot while running through their Georgia neighborhood in an attack that became part of the larger national reckoning on racial injustice during the summer of 2020. Trial attorney and former prosecutor Leslie Ricard Chambers joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the verdict, possible sentencing, and more.
Apple is now the latest company taking a stand against NSO Group. The company filed a lawsuit today against the Pegasus spyware maker for allegedly infecting users' devices. Apple is also seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any apple software, services, or devices. Filipe Espósito, a reporter at 9to5Mac joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The Bayou State has been through some tough times with massive storms on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the state is looking to rebuild by leaning into its reputation as a tourist destination. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser joined Cheddar to talk about Louisiana's work to reacquaint travelers with its renowned food, music, culture, Mardi Gras — and its Celebration Gator float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "Well they won't let us throw throws so we'll be going along the route handing out beads, stuffed alligators, telling people to book a trip to Louisiana," he said of the event.
Actor Ally Maki joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about her role as Detective Haruka on the recently premiered Hulu animated series "Hit-Monkey." Maki's character is one of the few women police detectives on the Tokyo force in the show based on an assassin snow monkey originally created for Marvel Comics. "I just love playing this character who is strong, and she's trying to find her voice within this field," she said.
Simon Mainwaring, CEO of We First and author of "LEAD WITH WE: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future," joins Cheddar Wellness to discuss what realizations job seekers are coming to, how expectations surrounding work have evolved over the course of the pandemic, and what employers can do to retain and attract employees during this time.
Adam Kaat, a former grocery store cashier, discusses his experience as an essential worker during the pandemic in his new book, "Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic."
If you're planning on traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday, you may need to prepare yourself for traffic and issues you could encounter. Travel expert Francesca Page joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges Friday after pleading self-defense in the deadly Kenosha shootings that became a flashpoint in the debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice in the U.S. Criminal Defense Attorney Anthony Tall joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the verdict, potential judicial precedent, and more.
