Chillinit, Mercedes Mum: influencers’ go from insta fame to legal pain |Full list
Flashy homes, stacked rigs and the cashed-up lifestyles of some of NSW influencers came crashing down after they were found guilty of committing crimes.
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These high-flying NSW influencers went from Insta-famous to just infamous after their luxurious lifestyles were brought crashing to the ground by their criminal charges.
They’re more used to haute couture than handcuffs, but the local social media stars found out they couldn’t charm their way out of the courtroom. The hundreds of thousands of followers and designer lavishes meant nothing when it came time to face the courtroom.
Find out how these social media darlings spectacularly fell from grace.
Monique Agostino
Northern Beaches, Sydney
An Instagram model with thousands of followers was jailed last year for her role as the getaway driver for a number of masked robberies of restaurants and convenience stories in 2018.
Monique Agostino, 25, was also convicted of shoplifting a $90 jacket from Supre and possessing a knife and drugs at a Target in Blacktown.
The single mum had worked for a Manly real estate agent in the past but was left homeless after her jail sentence ended in October last year.
Before she was behind bars, Agostino regularly shared racy photos of herself on her Instagram account and showed off an enviable home.
Her Instagram account now appears to have been deleted, although there is a “fan account” which humorously talks about Agostino’s love of Supre and Target.
It seems trouble is following her almost as much as her Instagram followers used to, because Agostino was wanted by police in February for allegedly breaching her bail conditions.
Sheridan Brown
Illawarra
A tattooed TikTok star from Illawarra made headlines last year when she hit a police officer with her car.
27-year-old Sheridan Louise Brown, who has a prior conviction for assaulting a police officer, was furious when she came home to find her partner being arrested by police during a raid.
She hit the police officer in the leg when she was trying to reverse out of the driveway to avoid identifying herself to the cops. The officer was uninjured.
Magistrate Fiona Toose told the single mum to “grow up” and sentenced her to a 12-month community corrections order.
Brown’s TikTok features glamorous selfie videos with hashtags like ‘tiktokmums’ and ‘selflove’.
The convictions seem to have done wonders for her social media following, which has skyrocketed from 10,000 to 71,700 followers.
Hassan Osseili
Sydney
The powerful physique of the bulky bodybuilder known as ‘Big Hass’ to his tens of thousands of Instagram followers contributed to his legal troubles this year.
Hassan Osseili is a professional bodybuilder who uses his Instagram to showcase his sculpted body and dedication to fitness, as well as a few snaps of Sydney’s beaches.
Osseili, whose Instagram touts him as the three-time winner of International Federation of Bodybulding’s Mr Australia, can add another win to his list after he successfully appealed his domestic violence conviction on June 23.
Osseili pleaded guilty to the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in March 2020 after he grabbed the hood of his drunk ex-wife and pulled her backwards, causing her to fall and cut her arm.
He was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order, but a judge upheld Osseili’s appeal and sentenced him to a 12-month conditional release order without conviction.
Blake Turnell aka Chillinit
Hurstville, Sydney
A Sydney rapper notorious for his love of cannabis unsurprisingly has a lengthy criminal history, with 14 convictions under his luxury brand belt.
Blake Turnell, also known as Chillinit, faced court last year for failing to stop after he crashed into another car while he was driving without a valid licence. The rapper’s criminal history also includes three convictions for drug possession and one for resisting arrest, among other charges.
His Instagram account, @chillinit_420, has numerous references to cannabis and photos of him with what appear to be joints and glass bongs. When he appeared at court in October 2019, the rapper shared a video claiming to show him rolling a joint on the customer service desk.
“Rolling joints at the courthouse like IDGAF (I don’t give a f*ck),” the post was captioned.
As well as flaunting his wealthy lifestyle, Turnell also shares clips of new songs and concerts with his nearly 300,000 followers.
Margarita Tomovska
Wollongong
An Instagram influencer dubbed ‘Mercedes mum’ lost her freedom and her followers after she was jailed for leading police on a high speed chase with a baby in the car.
Margarita Tomovska, 30, reached speeds of up to 232km/h when she sped down the Princes Highway while her three-year-old was unrestrained and there was another passenger in the car with her.
She went from Instagram to inmate when the magistrate sentenced her to a minimum nine-month jail term, which was reduced to four months in November 2019.
Before her sentencing, Tomovska inundated her 70,000 followers with photos of her dressed in designer clothes, which usually featured her signature Mercedes AMG. The account was deleted when she traded her high-end clothes for low-end prison greens.
Matthew Doyle
Eastern Suburbs, Sydney
A Sydney socialite who advertised an envy-inspiring lifestyle had a spectacular fall from grace when he was busted for attempting to supply nearly $85 million of cocaine.
Property developer Matthew Doyle, 32, advertised a flashy life filled with ritzy parties, lavish overseas holidays, and million dollar mansions. His social media accounts gave the impression he was always either at an elite party or luxuriating on holiday. He married his wife in a opulent ceremony with a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
Doyle and his wife had a collective portfolio which included shares in 16 companies, expensive cars, and residential developments worth millions.
But it all came crashing down in September 2020 when Doyle was sentenced to five years jail for trying to import 50 kgs of cocaine into Australia and dealing with more than $500,000 in crime proceeds.
Lara Dior
Campbelltown
A glamour model and social media influencer with thousands of followers went from insta-famous to infamous last year when she drove despite being unlicensed for 16 years.
Wethbet Almaali, popularly known as Lara Dior, was found unconscious behind the wheel of her bedazzled pink Mercedes in May last year. Police found 50 Xanax tablets in the car next to her when they tried to rouse her.
Five months earlier, Dior had been busted driving her unregistered pink Mercedes with illegally bedazzled expired number plates while she had cocaine and meth in her system. Dior has not held a licence since 2004 and was serving a sentence for a fraud charge.
The model was convicted but her social media influence hasn’t been affected, with a continuous stream of risque selfies delivered to her 21,300 fans.
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