Amine Mojito sentenced to six months in prison over fake syringe prank on strangers; what is it? Here’s what you need to know

French influencer Amine Mojito has landed in trouble over his fake syringe attacks on strangers. Mojito, whose real name is Ilan M, was sentenced to prison for faking syringe attacks on strangers in a viral prank video. According to the French newspaper Libération, Mojito was sentenced on Friday (October 3, 2025) by the Paris Criminal Court to 12 months in prison, six of which are suspended.

Mojito was also sentenced to a €1,500 ($1757.44) fine and a three-year ban on owning or carrying a weapon, according to Liberation. While pleading in court, he explained that he had been "in his own world" and "didn't know anything." The French court convicted him of “violence with a weapon not resulting in work incapacity,” according to media reports.

What is fake syringe prank

The 27-year-old content creator had filmed himself pretending to inject strangers with a syringe on the streets, as seen in video clips circulating online, just before the Fête de la Musique (World Music Day celebration) in June, 2025. The prosecutor's office confirmed that no actual injection took place, as the young man had kept the syringe cap on, according to entrevue.fr.

Mojito calls syringe pranks “very bad idea”

He also explained that his goal was to relaunch his online presence to promote a fitness program following a brief influencer career when he was a teenager.

“I had the very bad idea of doing these pranks by imitating what I saw on the internet, in Spain, [and] in Portugal. I didn’t think it could hurt people. That was my mistake, I didn’t think about others, I thought about myself,” he said in French, according to Libération.

Prosecutor asked for 15 months sentence

Mojito had posted multiple videos in which he simulated injecting passersby with a syringe. These pranks sparked an online outcry. Citing panic triggered by reports of needle attacks at student parties and festivals, the prosecutor had previously demanded a sentence of 15 months under electronic monitoring, with five months suspended,

The court viewed his videos as having contributed, intentionally or not, to this climate of fear, even if few actual cases were reported, according to reports.

Marie Claret de Fleurieu, Mojito’s lawyer, asked for clemency and told Libération that the court’s decision “brings the debate back to more reasonable proportions after the initial media frenzy” and “restores a bit of balance between public order and [her] client’s fundamental rights.”

The influencer had already spent nearly two months in pre-trial detention, during which he was kept in isolation at Fleury-Mérogis prison. Besides the latest prank case, according to entrevue.fr, he has already been convicted of aggravated assault and sexual assault.