‘Omi in a Hellcat’: YouTube star sentenced in cable piracy case
PHILADELPHIA - A local YouTube star has been sentenced to prison for his role in what prosecutors have called one of the largest illegal TV pirating rings they’ve ever seen.
Bill Omar Carrasquillo - a 36-year-old known online as ‘Omi in a Hellcat’ - was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison after a years-long investigation concluded with a 62-count federal indictment accusing him of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, tax evasion, and fraud.
In addition to his 66-month sentence, Carrasquillo was also ordered to forfeit $30 million in assets and pay $15 million in restitution to the cable companies involved and the IRS.
The indictment claimed that from 2016 to 2019, Carrasquillo and two partners created an illegal multi-million dollar TV streaming empire.
It claimed his company stole and retransmitted cable signals from companies like Comcast and Verizon FIOS. Subscribers would pay a $15 a month subscription for access to premium cable channels, on-demand movies, and pay-per-view events, according to the indictment.
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Carrasquillo, a former drug dealer from North Philly turned millionaire, gained internet fame by showing off his collection of high-end cars and expensive jewelry to hundreds of thousands of followers.
Following his arrest in Sept. 2021, he spoke with FOX 29 about the case outside of his rural Swedesboro, New Jersey home. The property was dotted with nearly a dozen high-end vehicles.
YouTuber ‘Omi in a Hellcat’ speaks out after arrest in federal piracy case
Omi in a Hellcat, a YouTuber whose real name is Bill Omar Carrasquillo, is speaking out after he was accused by federal authorities of heading a massive digital piracy scheme.
"You are saying you are completely innocent of those charges?" asked FOX 29 reporter Chris O’Connell. "Completely innocent would be a false statement. Ignorance is no excuse for the law," said Carrasquillo.
He also claimed at the time that past accountants and tax preparers got him into tax trouble.
"I found a loophole, I ran through it and I did great. There is other colleagues in the same business I was in and they never got in trouble with the FBI," he told FOX 29 back in 2021.
His home had previously been raided in Nov. 2019 when agents hauled away more than $35 million in assets, including more than 50 high-end vehicles.