Rosanna Pansino's claims that she recently reported fellow YouTuber MrBeast to the FBI are unlikely to lead to an investigation, legal experts have told Newsweek.
On Sunday, Pansino—who made a name for herself baking on YouTube, where she has more than 14 million subscribers—shared a more than 7-minute video purporting to show messages exchanged between MrBeast and his employees.
In an accompanying caption and follow-up posts on X, formerly Twitter, she suggested that the Telegram "company chat logs" in question indicated that MrBeast—whose real name Jimmy Donaldson—was aware of impropriety.
MrBeast's frequent collaborator Ava Kris Tyson in July faced scrutiny over her group chat interactions online with someone using the social media handle LavaGS that started when he was aged 13 and Tyson was 20.
While Tyson insisted in a statement shared to X that she "never groomed anyone," LavaGS, who is now 20, said that people suggesting any such actions on the content creator's part were telling "massive lies" and "twisting the truth."
"Ava never did anything wrong and just made a few edgy jokes," LavaGS wrote on the platform. "I was never exploited or taken advantage of."
For his part, MrBeast—who holds the record for the most subscribers on YouTube, with more than 320 million followers at the time of writing—said in a statement on X that he had hired "an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure I have all the facts." It was also announced at the time that Tyson was no longer a part of MrBeast's platform.
Over the weekend, Pansino—who has emerged as a frequent critic of MrBeast—shared footage of what she presented as messages showing the discussion of "many inappropriate topics" among the YouTuber and employees, including Tyson. Pansino later said in a separate X post that she had "reported what I found and my concerns to the authorities @FBI."
When contacted via email, a representative of the FBI told Newsweek that the agency had "no comment." Newsweek also contacted representatives of MrBeast and Pansino via email and Tyson via social media for comment.
In response to Pansino's suggestions, six legal experts have shared their thoughts with Newsweek on whether they believe her claims will lead to the launch of an FBI probe.
Bill Ogden, Attorney — Farrar & Ball LLP
"The FBI will do what it does best—investigate. If they uncover any concrete evidence of personal misconduct by Mr. Beast, they'll handle it. Yes, these conversations were private and not intended for public viewing, but the damage is done, and that bell can't be unrung.
"After reviewing Ms. Pansino's post on X, I see a mountain of unflattering content. However from what's been shared, none of it appears to meet the threshold for federal criminal culpability. If the FBI decides to launch a full investigation, they'll have access to far more than what Ms. Pansino has posted. To be clear, we don't have the full context or ages of those involved in the chat and the FBI would certainly look deeper if they choose to proceed.
"It should be noted that earlier this month, Pansino expressed frustration toward Mr. Beast, alleging he edited her out of a YouTube video.
"Criminal charges may not come into play, but we can't ignore the consequences in the court of public opinion. Dr. Disrespect—a top streamer—was abruptly banned by Twitch after allegations of inappropriate messages surfaced. It's a reminder that reputations don't necessarily fall by the rule of law, but by the weight of scrutiny."
Craig Greening, Attorney — Greening Law Group
"On the surface, this case doesn't seem to meet the threshold for federal criminal violations, which makes the likelihood of FBI action quite low.
"Generally, chat logs don't trigger a federal investigation unless there's clear evidence of criminal activity. If anything, MrBeast could face civil liabilities, especially if the logs suggest knowledge of unaddressed misconduct, potentially exposing him to claims of negligent supervision.
"That said, if Pansino accessed MrBeast's chat logs without authorization, that could introduce a federal crime on her part, depending on how she obtained the evidence."
Nicole Brenecki, Attorney — Jodré Brenecki LLP
"If the internal messages were mere exchanges of offensive content and there are no actual victims, children or otherwise, the FBI will likely take no action. Acts are sanctionable as opposed to 'free speech' however you interpret it.
"However, the brand can quickly lose its popularity because the court of public opinion is much more strict and can tank a brand over expressing ideas as opposed to committing acts."
David M. Schwartz, Attorney
"First off, it's not clear that MrBeast is part of the chat or that his company somehow supervises or has created the environment for the chat. Second he company could be liable civilly for various employment violations including harassment, sexual harassment and hostile work environment.
"I [don't] see any type of criminal liability from these chats except for the person that sent sexually explicit material [depicting] a minor, if that even occurred at all."
Russel Morgan, Attorney — Morgan Legal Group
"The FBI would need to uncover if any federal laws were broken or if any crimes occurred across state lines to determine if any of the allegations fall under their jurisdiction. If the chat logs reveal exploitation, cyber-related offenses, or any other federal crime, they may choose to step in.
"However, if they only see evidence of workplace misconduct or negligence, any criminal charges or lawsuits will be addressed at the state level or civil court.
"If MrBeast knew about employee misconduct and turned a blind eye to it, he could face a civil lawsuit where he may have to pay for damages to those who were harmed by his negligence.
"If he went a step further and concealed or participated in any criminal activity, then he could face criminal charges. Everything is speculation at this time, and we will not know until more evidence unfolds."
Arash Hashemi, Attorney — Law Offices of Arash Hashemi
"Given the information, the likelihood of the FBI taking action hinges on a few factors. First, the FBI would need to determine that there's credible evidence of federal violations, such as fraud or harassment.
"If the chat logs indicate that MrBeast had knowledge of serious misconduct by his employees—particularly any criminal activity or violation of federal employment laws—then it's possible the FBI could investigate. However, they typically prioritize cases where there is clear, documented harm or a significant impact on the public.
"As for the legal implications, if the chat logs contain evidence that MrBeast knowingly allowed illegal conduct to continue, he could potentially face liability for failing to take corrective action. That could mean civil suits for negligence or creating a hostile work environment, depending on the specifics of what's documented.
"On the criminal side, liability would depend on the nature and severity of the alleged misconduct; simply having knowledge of an issue doesn't necessarily translate to criminal liability unless there was active involvement or a clear duty to report it."
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