A French influencer went too far in his pursuit of viral TikTok content.
Ilan M., known online as Amine Mojito, 27, was convicted of assaulting people with empty syringes in two countries in southwestern Europe.
He was also convicted of violence and incitement to hatred.
Video clips show Ilan approaching unsuspecting people from behind and jabbing them with the empty syringe.
“It’s just a prank, bro,” he said while fleeing in one video. Some clips show Ilan wearing a hat, and face mask to conceal his identity.
Police caught Ilan after his syringe pranks went viral and sparked an uproar. He spent two months in a detention facility awaiting his trial last week.
According to the French newspaper Libération, Ilan was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 3, to 12 months in prison, with six months suspended.
He must serve 6 months before he can be released. The sentence is light considering the psychological harm to his victims.
Ilan apologized to his victims during a statement in court.
“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.
His lawyer, Marie Claret de Fleurieu, begged the court 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 [Ilan’s] fundamental rights.”
Alors que le phénomène des #piqures en pleine expansion suscite beaucoup de peur chez nos concitoyens « l’influenceur »Amine Mojito trouve drôle de faire semblant de piquer des gens dans la rue avec une seringue.
Inadmissible ! pic.twitter.com/u94keMJH0I— Officiers et Commissaires de police (@PoliceSCSI) June 22, 2025
French influencer Amine Mojito, whose real name is Ilan M., has been sentenced by a Paris court to one year in prison following public outrage over his viral syringe prank videos. pic.twitter.com/ytuBJ12DtH
— Michelle Roy (@MichelleRoy5506) October 6, 2025
