From music moguls to fashion executives, 2024 saw its fair share of celebrity incarcerations. Join us as we explore the shocking downfalls of famous figures who traded red carpets for prison jumpsuits. These high-profile cases rocked the entertainment world and left fans stunned.
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00:00It was very impactful. Everybody in the room was on tender hooks, just waiting to see what
00:04decision the judge would hand down.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 10 most notable celebrities
00:11who ended up in either jail or prison in 2024.
00:14Also tonight, an actor who starred on the Oprah Winfrey Network is now charged with
00:18murder.
00:20Number 10, Sean Kingston.
00:22New at 11, singer Sean Kingston back in Florida.
00:26This singer hit it big in 2007, with his debut album reaching number 6 on the Billboard
00:30200 and spawning the number one single, Beautiful Girls.
00:3417 years later, he was in jail.
00:36It all started in May 2024, when Kingston's Florida mansion was raided by a SWAT team.
00:41Both the musician and his mother, Janice Turner, were arrested.
00:53They had allegedly used fraudulent documents to obtain luxury items like watches and cars,
00:59illegally obtaining up to $1 million worth of goods.
01:02They were both charged with five counts of wire fraud, and Kingston was booked into Florida's
01:06Broward County Jail.
01:07If convicted, both Kingston and Turner each face up to 20 years in prison.
01:21Number 9, Peter Nygaard.
01:31A popular fashion executive, Peter Nygaard is the founder of Nygaard International, which
01:36at one time was Canada's largest manufacturer of women's clothing.
01:40The clothes catapulted Nygaard to fame, and he became one of the richest men in Canada,
01:44with a net worth of $900 million.
01:47But his career has also been marred by allegations of sexual assault, and in 2020, 57 plaintiffs
01:52filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that Nygaard was engaged in sex trafficking.
02:00His son, Kaizen Bickel, also told the media that his father was a systematic monster who
02:05used his business talents for evil.
02:07Nygaard was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to 11 years in prison in September
02:12of 2024.
02:23Number 8, Nancy Gonzalez.
02:30While certainly not a household name, Nancy Gonzalez was quite prominent in the circles
02:34of luxury apparel, with her famous handbags being sold in Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue.
02:39Many prominent celebrities have also been spotted using her bags, allowing her name
02:42to become synonymous with high-end fashion.
02:44But that all crumbled in April of 2024, when Gonzalez was convicted of smuggling exotic
02:49animal skins into the United States.
02:51Gonzalez had violated federal wildlife laws by crafting handbags out of python and crocodile
02:56skins and then hiring couriers to smuggle them into the United States.
03:00She pled guilty to the charges in Miami, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
03:05Number 7, Youngboy Never Broke Again.
03:13Going by a number of different stage names, including Youngboy Never Broke Again and NBA
03:17Youngboy, Kentrel Gaulden has had a successful career despite a string of legal issues.
03:22In 2024, Gaulden was already in the midst of a federal firearms charge when he was arrested
03:27in Utah for identity fraud and possession of controlled substances.
03:42According to prosecutors, Gaulden was using fake IDs to fraudulently purchase prescription
03:46drugs.
03:47His house arrest stemming from the firearms charge was revoked, and he was sent to jail.
03:51He accepted a global plea deal encompassing both the firearm and fraud charges, and was
03:55sentenced to 27 months in prison.
04:05Number 6, Justin Timberlake.
04:17Social media went crazy on June 18, 2024, when Justin Timberlake was arrested in New
04:21York for driving under the influence.
04:23He was taken to jail by the Sag Harbor Police Department, and his mugshot was spread far
04:28and wide for the world to see.
04:29Despite insisting that he only had one martini, he refused to take a breathalyzer, and the
04:33arresting police officer noted that he was displaying strong signs of intoxication.
04:46He eventually pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, which is a non-criminal traffic
04:50violation, and in exchange, the DWI charge was dropped.
04:53He was fined $500 and given 25 hours of community service.
05:07Number 5, Sam Bankman-Freed.
05:17Known as the poster boy of crypto, Sam Bankman-Freed, or SBF as he's often called, founded the
05:22cryptocurrency exchange FTX in 2019.
05:25Unfortunately for investors, the whole thing was a massive scheme that threatened the future
05:29and integrity of digital currency.
05:31In 2022, Bankman-Freed was charged with a laundry list of white-collar crimes, including
05:36money laundering and both wire and security fraud.
05:48The highly prominent United States v. Bankman-Freed trial began on October 3rd, 2023, with the
05:53FTX founder facing five counts of conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud.
05:58He was found guilty on all seven, and in March 2024, was given 25 years in prison.
06:07Number 4, Ali Aboulaban.
06:18This comedian is better known as Gin Kid, a comedian that was popular on Instagram and
06:23TikTok.
06:24Gin Kid was known for doing impressions, specifically Tony Montana from Scarface, and his Skyrim
06:28in real life videos went mega viral.
06:47Talented though he was, this story does not have a happy ending.
06:51In October of 2021, Aboulaban murdered his estranged wife Anna and her boyfriend, Rayburn
06:56Barron.
06:57Barron blamed his actions on a drug-induced psychosis, but the jury was not convinced,
07:01and he was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder, resulting in two life sentences.
07:16Number 3, Akeelie McDowell.
07:24An up-and-coming actor, Akeelie McDowell has appeared in two episodes of Billions and starred
07:28as the titular character in the Oprah Winfrey Network's David Makes Man.
07:32But his burgeoning career was cut short in August 2024, when he was arrested for murder.
07:46Back on July 20th, McDowell confronted a man named Cesar Peralta in the parking lot of
07:50a Houston apartment complex.
07:52Witnesses report that the two entered a physical altercation, and McDowell eventually shot
07:57and killed Peralta before fleeing.
07:59He was caught and taken to jail on a charge of first-degree murder.
08:10Number 2, Travis Scott.
08:18Despite being a huge star, Travis Scott has faced a number of significant legal issues
08:23throughout the years.
08:24The summer of 2024 was a particularly difficult time for Scott, who found himself in jail
08:28on two separate occasions.
08:30On August 9th, he was arrested after publicly fighting his own bodyguard and a security
08:34guard of Paris' Four Seasons Hotel George V.
08:43But the more notable event occurred less than two months later, when Scott was arrested
08:46for disorderly intoxication and trespassing.
08:49His mugshot was taken by the Miami-Dade Police Department, and Scott used this now-famous
08:53photo on various pieces of merchandise.
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09:21Number 1, Diddy.
09:30One of the most significant scandals in modern history, Diddy experienced a legendary downfall
09:34throughout 2024.
09:35In September of that year, he was arrested on various charges, including sex trafficking
09:40and racketeering.
09:50This followed numerous allegations of sexual assault, including one from his ex-partner,
09:54Cassie Ventura.
09:55A huge bombshell occurred the following month, when the Washington Post reported that up
09:59to 120 lawsuits would be filed against Diddy, with all plaintiffs, many of whom are minors,
10:04claiming sexual assault.
10:05His trial will begin on May 5th, 2025, and in the meantime, Diddy is being housed in
10:10Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.
10:12His cellmate is the aforementioned Sam Bankman-Freed.
10:15If these lawsuits actually come to pass, Combs would be facing sexual misconduct allegations
10:20on an unprecedented scale.
10:22Can you think of any more examples?
10:24Let us know in the comments below.
10:25His attorney in that case is asking a federal appeals court to let him out on bail, guys.