Johnny Somali Faces Serious Legal Trouble with New Charges: Mandatory Prison Time Ahead?

Infamous streamer Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, is once again making headlines, but this time for all the wrong reasons. A legal expert has revealed that he is facing a new criminal charge that carries mandatory prison time, adding to his already extensive legal troubles.

Since the South Korean government first intervened in November 2024 during his stay in the country, Somali has racked up a series of criminal charges. His legal issues began when he was charged with Obstruction of Business after causing a scene in a 7-Eleven convenience store while live streaming. This was followed by two counts under the Minor Crimes Act for bizarre antics, including using a dead fish to disturb passengers on a bus and twerking on a subway train.

Now, it seems that Somali's legal woes are far from over. A Seoul-based lawyer known as ‘Legal Mindset’ went live on March 27, 2025, to discuss a fifth charge that has been “officially merged” into his ongoing case. According to Legal Mindset, this new charge carries “mandatory prison time with no option of [a] fine,” which means that Somali is almost guaranteed to face incarceration.

The charge in question is related to AI-generated deepfakes that Somali created, including one featuring Korean streamer BongBong, which made it appear as though they were kissing in November 2024. During the live stream, Legal Mindset shared translated court documents that revealed Somali has been charged with “Violation of the Special Act on the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Violence Crimes (false video material, etc.).”

Legal Mindset elaborated on the implications of this charge, stating, “This falls under a sex crime.” He emphasized that once Somali is found guilty—whether through a court ruling or a guilty plea—he can be labeled a sex criminal without any defamation concerns in any country. “This deepfake is sexual because, under Korean law, French kissing is considered sexual,” he explained. “Distributing AI content without consent is illegal, and if it involves French kissing, that’s classified as sexual.”

🚨 5th charge OFFICIALLY MERGED into case of Ramsey Khalid Ismael (Johnny Somali) in South Korea. This charge carries MANDATORY prison time with NO OPTION OF FINE. Ramsey is officially headed behind bars, unless he can somehow win against a prosecutors with a 98% win rate 🚨

— Legal Mindset (@TheLegalMindset) March 27, 2025

Moreover, the lawyer pointed out that in South Korea, streaming such content for profit can lead to a prison sentence of up to seven years. Somali's decision to distribute the material via platforms like Discord only exacerbates his situation. “Johnny Somali is receiving an aggravated sentence because he streamed it,” Legal Mindset noted. “He put it on Discord because he had to do it for the content.”

As of now, Johnny Somali is awaiting a second court date scheduled for April 9. He has claimed that he was unaware of the second Obstruction of Business charge against him, but with this new charge looming, his future in South Korea looks increasingly uncertain. Notably, he did plead guilty to his first Obstruction of Business charge and the two counts under the Minor Crimes Act during a drunken court appearance on March 7.

With the legal landscape shifting rapidly for Somali, it remains to be seen how these new developments will impact his life and career. As he navigates the complexities of the South Korean legal system, the stakes have never been higher for the controversial streamer.