A man who flaunted private jets and luxury cars on Instagram gets 11 years in prison for money laundering.
A New York City man who was caught flaunting his wealth on Instagram now faces 11 years in jail for money laundering.
Anuj Srivastava, 29, who goes by the moniker ‘Bruno’, used his Instagram account to post photos of his ‘luxury’ cars, Mercedes, Audi and Lamborghinis and his private jets, including a 757 and his private plane — a 777 — as well as to make a post for his friend who got promoted to be the chief financial officer at his company.
According to a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Srivastava’s Instagram account was in possession of 1.8 billion Instagram photos and videos. He also had over 3,000 followers on Instagram from his account.
When he was confronted about the posts by Instagram users, he denied it. He also said he was a ‘digital artist’ and ‘hippie’ who did it only for fun.
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On April 12, 2017, he was arrested in New York City when some of his luxury car photos — Mercedes, Audi, Lamborghinis etc. — were seized by the FBI based on a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
He was also arrested for money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, also based on a warrant issued by a U.S. magistrate judge.
During the search that day, agents with the FBI and IRS found cash, credit cards and checks belonging to various companies, as well as $6,000 cash in his pocket.
He was also found to have 1.8 billion Instagram photos and videos.
The FBI seized his phone which was used by Srivastava to chat with his friends on Instagram and also used to post his posts.
And while Srivastava’s Instagram account has been closed by Instagram because
