Jake Paul’s Mansion Raided by FBI and Heavily-Armed SWAT Team
Jake Paul's mum has opened up on the terrifying ordeal.
Nasir Jabbar
Jake Paul's mansion was raided by the FBI as a team of SWAT officers in armoured vehicles descended upon his pad.
Paul, who made his boxing debut in 2020, has emerged as one of the biggest names in the sport following his high-profile fights, including bouts against UFC legends Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.
Not to mention Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua, who stopped 'The Problem Child' in the sixth round of their money-spinning clash last month.
Paul has earned some eye-watering purses in his career, having bagged a huge payout from his Netflix showdown against Joshua.
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He's made a series of extravagant purchases in the process, including his $8 million mansion in California.
In 2020, his luxury home was the subject of an FBI investigation as a team of SWAT officers in armoured vehicles raided the property while searching for evidence that he was linked to the looting of a Scottsdale mall.
Paul and graffiti artist friend Arman Izadi were arrested at Scottsdale Fashion Square mall and charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly after filming a mob ransacking the property.
Some of the rioters had claimed that they were protesting the murder of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer.
Paul and Izadi immediately denied any wrongdoing, but police said they were sent 'hundreds of tips' claiming the YouTuber-turned-boxer was a participant in the riot.
That prompted the FBI to carry out their raid of the 29-year-old's property, with news helicopters capturing the federal officers walking out of his mansion with several rifles they confiscated during the search.
The charges against Paul and Izadi were ultimately dropped and no arrests were made.
But it lives long in the memory of Paul's mum, Pam Stepnick, who opened up on the incident in her new book, 'F**k the Pauls''.
An excerpt of it read: "My ears rang with the news when Ted told me the FBI was raiding Jake’s home.
"I ran out of my dermatologist appointment and sank to the floor in the building’s stairwell. My heart was racing.
"After the family text bombardment during Jake’s last controversy (the Covid party), I decided to get ahead of their good intentions.
"This time, I texted them with the news about Jake, telling them not to freak out when they saw the headlines.
"FBI spokesperson Jill McCabe said the FBI was investigating allegations of criminal acts surrounding the incident at Scottsdale Fashion Square in May 2020.
"I knew my son had not done anything that merited the freaking FBI’s attention, much less the whole country’s attention.
"The story was picked up in national publications. I was unraveling.
"I had always been the rock and the glue that holds our family together, but the FBI?
"This was bigger than anything we had ever experienced up until this point in our family’s wild history.
"At the time of the raid, Jake was training for his next boxing match.
"The FBI searched Jake’s home, looking for God knows what. As I watched helicopters circle around his mansion, I thought, 'What the hell is happening?'
"FBI agents carried guns out of the Calabasas home along with video equipment, cell phones, cameras, and laptops. In the days following the raid, my family stared into the abyss, devastated, afraid, and deeply humbled.
"When I saw video footage of the FBI confiscating Team 10 cameras (the social media label Jake had founded) and laptops on the news over and over and over again, I was disgusted. In my heart, I knew there were no bad intentions on Jake’s part.
"I watched the video while shaking my head. This investigation will go nowhere.
"There’s nothing to find. And I was right. The charges were dropped. I was frustrated. It felt like another media grab.
"At a time when all eyes were on the internet, Jake’s name meant more clicks.
"But this series of events caused Jake to take stock of his life. Finally, he had to course correct."