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Who Is William Banks And Is He In Jail? The Viral Twitter User Who Is Allegedly Imprisoned Explained
A Twitter user named William Banks is allegedly in jail. Why "allegedly?" Well, although he's posting videos and photos from inside a prison cell to his social media, finding the man's Connecticut inmate record is tricky.
This whole saga started this time last year when Banks was arrested for real. Over the past few months, his Twitter page has shifted into his preparations for serving hard time. Now, he's somehow snuck a cell phone into the facility. It all looks so convincing, and perhaps he's telling the truth. But internet users are skeptical.
So, who is William Banks? Is he in jail right now? What was he arrested for anyway? Let's explain.
Who Is William Banks From Twitter?
William Banks is a 28-year-old self-proclaimed journalist and actor who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He posts frequently to YouTube, TikTok and Twitter. He has the most amount of followers on Twitter, as he's just reached over 17,200 followers as of December 2024.
Banks seems to be a comedian as well, or at least an improv actor. He has multiple live comedy videos on his YouTube channel.
Banks is also a self-proclaimed man of god. He's dedicated himself to religion over the past year. Many of his posts from the timeframe challenge Atheism.
Why Was William Banks Arrested In Connecticut?
Last December, William Banks was arrested in Westport, Connecticut for suspected larceny. He was allegedly stealing pro-Israel, Zionist signs in a neighborhood, according to local reports. He was released on a $500 bond and his court date was set for March 2024.
Banks is an avid proponent for Palestinian freedom. The timeline of his arrest lines up with the aftermath of the October 7th attacks which sparked the ongoing Isreal-Hamas conflict which has only worsened over time.
Is William Banks In Prison?
Banks posted a tweet two months ago in which he claimed that the state of Connecticut had sentenced him to eight months in prison because of his prior arrest. He claimed that his sentence would begin in November.
His social media presence went largely dormant after that, until two weeks ago, when he posted a tweet, bluntly stating, "Got a phone." The image showed him with two guys posing in what seems to be a prison block.
The tweet attracted viral engagement. People learned about Banks' ongoing story and some users were horrified. "Getting 8 months for trashing 5 pro-Israel lawn signs is genuinely crazy," one person said.
This only fueled Banks' posting. He began sharing videos with his cellmate, Ant, who apparently snuck in the cell phone. Across many candid videos, people are seeing prison through the eyes of one of their mutuals.
However, some are not convinced. "There's no way this isn't the greatest bit of all time, right?" one user asked. In the replies, people compared Banks to famous hoaxster Dan Hentschel.
There's no way this isn't the greatest bit of all time right https://t.co/EvGOM7AqPj
— Brizz-Chan (Mr drive) (@billybrizzle420) December 20, 2024
At the moment, it's unclear if Banks is actually incarcerated. For one, a prisoner by the name of William Banks does not appear in the Connecticut State Department of Correction's inmate search database.
However, a record for William Banks does appear in the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch's search for "Pending Criminal" cases. Plus, the record lists the birth year as 1996, meaning the Banks in question is about 28.
The problem is that the "Pending Criminal" hit lists the Banks' case status as "Awaiting Disposition," meaning that there's been no sentencing yet. If this is truly the Banks in question, all signs unfortunately point to hoax.
For the full history of William Banks' Jail Stint, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.
