Who Is Nick Rekieta And Why Was He Arrested? The YouTube Lawyer's Downfall And The 'Sonichu Medallion Curse' Explained

Once-popular YouTuber and lawyer Nick Rekieta, known for his comedic and informative law content, has been arrested and arraigned alongside his wife, Kayla, and his friend, April Imholte.

The creator faces several charges of possession that come with a possible 25-year sentence, all amidst a lawsuit against another YouTuber and months of purported substance abuse that allegedly took place during his live streams. Now, some people online are blaming it all on a cursed Sonichu medallion. Here's what you need to know.

Who Is Nick Rekieta And Why Was He Arrested?

Nick Rekieta is a YouTuber, Rumble streamer and lawyer based in Minnesota. He is known for his videos and streams covering various lawsuits, cases and law-related topics on the Rekieta Law YouTube channel, which boasts nearly 500,000 subscribers. His 2022 coverage of the Amber Heard vs. Johnny Depp trial was notably popular on the site.

Despite his success, Rekieta started to exhibit some questionable and worrying behavior during his streams in early 2024. Rekieta regularly drinks on stream, however, some viewers believed his drinking was becoming excessive as he would regularly begin to appear intoxicated while streaming. Clips of him appearing intoxicated on stream started to go viral, including clips where he said problematic and offensive things, leading some to speculate that he was also on hard drugs.

To make matters worse, Rekieta has also been going through a slander lawsuit leveled against him by YouTuber Montagraph, who alleges that Rekieta falsely accused him of being a child predator. This all culminated in a stream on May 21st, 2024, when Rekieta got on camera to discuss how he lost his appeal for the case. Rekieta got drunk throughout the now-deleted stream, which ended with him seemingly dosing off without realizing his camera was still running.

Two days later, reports that Rekieta, his wife Kayla and April Imholte, a fellow creator, were arrested started spreading online. The allegations were backed up by a screenshot of their purported arrest records and further backed up when Rekieta took part in a livestreamed Zoom arraignment on the 24th, where his charges were read to him, revealing that he could face up to 25 years in prison. The charges include possession of drugs, ammunition and a firearm and child endangerment.

How Is Social Media Reacting To Nick Rekieta's Arrest?

News of the arrest quickly went viral on social media, inspiring tons of reactions. Some YouTubers are dissecting the case and all the clips leading up to the arrest. While many are sharing their disappointment over the arrest, many others are not too surprised about it based on Rekieta's recent behaviors during streams.

What Is The 'Medallion Curse?'

Along with the more serious reactions to Rekieta's arrest comes a meme linking it all to infamous lolcow Chris-Chan and their iconic Sonichu medallion. This all stems back to an October 2023 livestream, where Rekieta showed off a cryptic note that was sent to him reading "a new host has been chosen." Along with a note was a replica of Chris-Chan's Sonichu medallion, which Rekieta casually wore around his neck during the stream.

The day before his arrest, some X users began joking that Rekieta's so-called "downfall," meaning his struggles with drugs and alcohol, started because of the Sonichu medallion. The memes suggest that the medallion was cursed, using the fact that all his problems came to light in the months that followed him wearing the medallion. Of course, there is no reality to this and it's all just speculation and coincidences for the sake of a meme.

For the full history of Nick Rekieta's arrest, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.