Yexel Sebastian claims he’s victim too amid P50B scam accusations
Yexel Sebastian with his partner Mikee Agustin | Image: Facebook/Yexel
Filipino vlogger Yexel Sebastian claimed he was a victim too, as he faced a complaint for syndicated estafa from 30 alleged victims recently filed at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
On his Facebook account, the known toy collector maintained that he and his partner, Mikee Agustin, did not scam anyone as they claimed they were victims of the alleged fraud.
“Uulitin ko po wala kami niloko kahit isang tao. Kami po ay nalagay lang sa alanganin. Hindi po namin kagustuhan ang nangyari sa amin lahat,” he stated.
(Let me repeat, we did not scam a single person. We just got into trouble. We don’t like what happened to us all.)
Sebastian remarked that he could not provide any help to the victims, as they too are also recovering the money that was allegedly taken from them.
“Sa lahat po ng investors nasa inyo pa din ang simpatya ko. Wala lang po ako ngayon kakayahan para makatulong sa inyo dahil kahit po kami ay gumagawa ng paraan hanggang sa kasalukuyan sa ibang bansa. Kaso sadyang naipit lang po tayo.”
(To all the investors, my sympathy is still with you. I just don’t have the capability to help you right now because even we are now making a way out of the problem in another country. It’s just that we’re still stuck.)
Based on a report on “24 oras,” Sebastian has been sued for junket investment scam and is also facing a complaint for violation of the Securities Regulation Code.
As disclosed by lawyer Palmer Mallari, chief of the NBI fraud and financial crimes division, the money that the content creator allegedly got away with totaled P50 billion.
The victims were said to have been lured into signing agreements that they were giving loans to Sebastian and not investments.
In 2023, some victims first came forward to accuse the YouTube vlogger of being involved in the investment scam. That same year, Sebastian and his partner allegedly fled to Japan after the lawsuit was filed against them.
He was known as the reported owner of the “largest Optimus Prime bust in Asia” and as the younger brother of the late YouTuber Jam Sebastian.
