The deck may be stacked against you, but if you find success as an internet content creator, it can unlock a whole new world of opportunities, money and fame. Still, if you want to continue to grow your channel, there’s a lot of pressure to make every video more over the top and more expensive than the last. That’s how we ended up with influencer Alex Choi deciding to celebrate the 4th of July by shooting fireworks at a modified Lamborghini from a helicopter. Unfortunately for everyone involved, though, they allegedly broke some laws in the process, and Choi is now facing federal charges.
The Daily Beast reports that the “crazy stupid” video was shot on the dry lake bed at El Mirage, which happens to be supervised by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM isn’t the only part of the government that Choi pissed off — the Federal Aviation Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Department of Transportation Inspector General’s Office all reportedly took issue with the video. As it turns out, it’s illegal to place explosives on an aircraft.
The video is no longer listed on YouTube, although you can still find clips online. This teaser that was posted to Instagram is still up and should give you a better idea of what exactly they were doing.
Choi isn’t the only one to end up in hot water after that stunt, either. The FAA took away the helicopter pilot’s license for flying too close to the ground and “operating the helicopter in a manner that was careless or reckless so as to endanger the life or property of another.” It’s possible more charges are coming, but even if they don’t, Choi is still looking at up to 10 years in prison if he’s convicted.
It’s unlikely that he would be sentenced to serve nearly that much time, but we’re not exactly talking about a fine and a slap on the wrist here. At least now you know the next time you wish you could shoot fireworks at a Lamborghini from a helicopter, it’s probably a bad idea.