A MrBeast mugshot has circulated online, suggesting that the embattled YouTuber — legal name Jimmy Donaldson — has been arrested. Around the same time the mugshot surfaced, YouTuber Rosanna Pansino turned over MrBeast Telegram chat logs to the FBI. The messages, Pansino alleged, prove MrBeast knew that his former colleague Ava Kris Tyson groomed a teenager, as well as sexual and other misconduct in Beast’s company — and even cannibalism, according to some rumors.
But while the mugshot is Donaldson, he looks a fair bit younger than he does now for a good reason: It is a MrBeast mugshot, but it’s from 2018, when Donaldson was 19 years old. That year, Donaldson and another man were arrested for street racing near Tarboro, NC, according to a Tarboro Police Department social media post.
According to Tarboro police, Donaldson and 22-year-old Luis Guerrero Rijo were caught racing at speeds as fast as 122 miles per hour. Donaldson was already a famous YouTuber known for stunts and competitions, and Tarboro authorities said he refused to identify himself. There was also alcohol, a loaded handgun, and ammunition in the cars. Donaldson was arrested and held on $100,000 bond.
When the mugshot showed up online, his fans and followers, or those paying attention to MrBeast because of the Tyson and Pansino controversy, were surprised to learn of MrBeast’s 2018 arrest, which he never mentioned.
Referring to the mugshot, one Reddit comment read in part, ” … This is something that the YouTube community doesn’t know yet. Pretty surprising tbh.” But another added, “It woulda been surprising a few months ago, but with all the s**t coming out in the last month, I’m not the least bit surprised.”
MrBeast’s pump-and-dump allegations
Around the same time the Tyson, hacked chats, and old mugshot surfaced, Decrypt alleged that Donaldson — perhaps the most successful YouTuber in the world — has made millions in illegal pump-and-dump crypto schemes. Pump-and-dump schemes involve famous people who promote an investment, only to sell off what they own after their fans follow their advice, artificially inflating the price and earning the celebrity millions that the investment might not have otherwise been worth.
Decrypt accused MrBeast of earning as much as $13 million, while others say he could have earned as much as $23 million through these pump-and-dump-related frauds.
So far, Donaldson has not commented on the mugshot or financial fraud allegations, nor has he been charged with any crime related to crypto, or to Tyson. Referring to the Tyson allegations, he has previously said he was “disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts.” After the allegations emerged, Donaldson said he’d hired an independent third party to investigate the matter. Tyson denied the grooming allegations before quitting MrBeast’s team, and the alleged victim also denied he was ever groomed.
On Friday, Donaldson said the investigation had concluded and shared a letter from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, which read in part, “Allegations of sexual misconduct… between company employees and minors are without basis. The allegations were soundly rejected, including by alleged victims.” The letter added, ” … isolated instances of workplace harassment and misconduct were identified,” but once MrBeast’s company found out, they took “swift and appropriate actions” to address them, the law firm said.