FBI agents who raided YouTube star Jake Paul’s mansion were looking for video evidence of the Arizona mall looting he is linked to, a source close to the influencer told DailyMail.com.
SWAT teams descended on Paul’s $6.9 million Calabasas home and the Las Vegas mansion of his graffiti artist co-star Arman Izadi in a dramatic Wednesday dawn raid.
A source close to Izadi told DailyMail.com federal agents took computers and hard drives from the Vegas home and were looking for unreleased footage of Paul and Izadi at a mall looting in Scottsdale, Arizona in May.
The source also revealed that police searched other properties beyond the two mansions in the coordinated raid – though the FBI remained tight-lipped saying the case had been sealed.
FBI and law enforcement officers raided YouTuber Jake Paul’s Los Angeles mansion Wednesday and were seen removing several firearms
DailyMail.com can reveal that agents were looking for evidence of the Arizona mall looting he is linked to
Multiple high powered weapons were seized at the $6.9million Calabasas mansion during the raid for video information
Paul, 23, Izadi, 35, and a third YouTuber filmed themselves at a Scottsdale protest over the killing of George Floyd but were arrested and charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly after looters ransacked and vandalized the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall.
As dozens of SWAT officers in armored vehicles hit the influencers’ mansions around 6am Wednesday, Scottsdale Police Department announced the Arizona state charges against the three men had been temporarily dismissed while the case was handed over to federal investigators.
‘It seems they wanted to get their hands on technology to review any footage that may not have been released,’ the source told DailyMail.com. ‘That is what seems to be out of control. Why is it so aggressive for just that?
‘It was a shock to everyone… You just don’t see that every day, these huge SWAT teams.
‘Everybody there was detained while they secured the property.
‘They asked [Izadi] a lot of questions,’ the source added. ‘They were asking him things pertaining to why they were in Arizona.
‘We don’t fully understand how misdemeanor trespassing charges turned into a federal investigation.’
News choppers caught on camera federal officers carrying several rifles confiscated from Paul’s mansion during the Calabasas search, setting social media ablaze with speculation over the reason for the raid.
Jake Paul was charged with two misdemeanor crimes after he was seen at an Arizona mall that was being looted in May. He was seen in video taken at the incident
Tana Mongeau, Arman Izadi and Jake Paul are seen at Paul and Mongeau’s wedding. SWAT teams descended on Paul’s home and the Las Vegas mansion of his graffiti artist co-star Arman Izadi
Paul released a statement that claimed he was not involved in any looting and was in the area for protests
A spokesperson at the FBI’s Phoenix office confirmed the raids were connected to a federal investigation of the mall looting.
Echoing a statement released by Paul in June, the source insisted they were not involved in any looting.
‘This is definitely being trumped up,’ the friend of the YouTube stars said. ‘It was never anyone’s intention to go down there and loot. I know that Mr. Izadi and Jake didn’t loot anything. It’s hard to say what was going on with all of the people around them.
‘There’s plenty of footage out there showing there were ignorant people around them that were encouraging bad behavior. There were people who they knew and didn’t know who were doing things that weren’t intelligent.
‘But of course the only names getting dragged into the media are Jake’s and Izadi’s. That’s always the position. Jake’s insanely famous and Mr. Izadi’s a good friend.’
The FBI said there were no arrests during the searches, and Paul’s lawyer, Richard Schonfeld, said he was out of California at the time.
A staffer who helps run events at Izadi’s house, dubbed Graffiti Mansion, told Fox 5 Las Vegas that officers burst onto the property with flash bang grenades.
‘They got here about 6 am this morning. We opened the gate to let them come in. They woke the staff with a couple of flash bangs which was pretty exciting,’ Richard Ochoa told the TV station.
Izadi later posted on, saying: ‘A lot of people talking trash. A lot of people making up things online today. I’m not going to get into any details other than all they wanted to know about was Arizona.’
Footage showed what appeared to be a high-powered rifle resting against the star’s hot tub in the backyard that appears in many of his recent YouTube videos
The FBI said no arrests were planned in Wednesday’s search. Sources say: ‘We don’t fully understand how misdemeanor trespassing charges turned into a federal investigation’
In a statement on Wednesday, the Phoenix FBI office said, ‘The FBI is investigating allegations of criminal acts surrounding the incident at Scottsdale Fashion Square in May 2020.
‘This morning the FBI executed federal search warrants in California and Las Vegas, Nevada in connection with this investigation. The search warrant affidavits are sealed and we are, therefore, prohibited from commenting further.’
Scottsdale Police said: ‘Misdemeanor charges for Jake Paul, Arman Izadi and Andrew Leon related to their involvement in the May 30, 2020 Scottsdale Fashion Square riots are being dismissed without prejudice today.
‘It is in the best interest of the community to dismiss misdemeanor charges without prejudice so that a federal criminal investigation can be completed. Scottsdale retains the option to refile charges depending on the outcome of the federal investigation.’