Tunisian-French rapper Swagg Man, known for the Louis Vuitton logos tattooed on his head, has been sentenced to five years in jail for fraud and money laundering, the judiciary said Tuesday.
Born in the French Mediterranean town of Nice, the 34-year-old, whose real name is Iteb Zaibet, became an internet celebrity known for his ostentatious clothing, body tattoos, and chunky jewelry.
His social media fame led him to be invited onto television shows in both France and Tunisia.
On Monday, a Tunis court sentenced him to five years in prison and fined him 100,000 dinars ($36,000) on charges of money laundering and fraud, judicial official Mohsen Dali told AFP.
He said funds of about 17 million dinars ($6 million) in euros and Swiss francs were also confiscated from Swagg Man’s accounts.
The rapper had been detained in Tunisia since his arrest in July 2019 in connection with suspect money transfers on a Swiss bank account.
He is also suspected of having defrauded social media fans and faces a French arrest warrant issued in 2019 in connection with embezzlement.
Swagg Man had announced on Instagram that he was transferring funds to build a mosque, an orphanage, and a hotel.
He has denied the charges against him and can appeal the sentence.
According to Dali, a European man, who is on the run and whom he did not identify, was also sentenced in the same case as Swagg Man.
