Facebook posts rush NinjaVideo 'queen' to prison
29-year-old Hana Amal Beshara, better known as NinjaVideo's "Queen Phara," has enraged US authorities in many ways. Last week, a federal judge sentenced 29-year-old Hana Amal Beshara, also known as NinjaVideo's "Queen Phara," to 22 months in prison and ordered her to pay over $200,000 to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). It was her postings on Facebook, however, that made them rush her to prison this weekend.
Beshara was the co-founder and public face of NinjaVideo, a US-based website with links to uploaded videos of TV shows, movies, and documentaries. In June 2010, the site was taken down by the US federal government. Beshara had her condo raided, her gear seized, and was eventually charged with criminal copyright infringement, according to Ars Technica.
Beshara's sentencing (she pleaded guilty by the way) allowed her to be released until a bed opened up at a detention center. She took this as an opportunity to make various posting on NinjaVideo's Facebook Page, but that only got her to prison sooner than planned.
NinjaVideo's page is full of postings, both from Phara and from another employee by the name of Candeelion. Based on the timing of them, however, it seems the US government found problem with one or more of the following five posts.
Phara on January 6 at 7:28 PM:
Word up my Ninjas. Word the f*** is up. This is PHARA. Typing on my phone on the road with Candee after my sentencing. 22 months in federal prison. I never snitched, I never left Ninjavideo, and I will always be proud of this incredible world we built, this community that touched millions. I hold my head high. Always. Ride or die, no? THIS SHIT IS NINJA. – Phara
Phara on January 7 at 12:15 PM:
Share please. Everything you can guys. It's time. I have a handful of weeks before they lock me up and I want us to stand together. Two more sentences are coming that we're watching closely and we cannot compromise them, but my fight has concluded... It's time to take this viral. Or at the very least, make this the kind of convo it deserves. So please... EVERYTHING. Reach... share, talk to eachother. We are Ninja... and we will never be gone.
Phara on January 7 at 6:17 PM:
Guys, we're putting out a tentative call for docu heads and film makers and people with video experience... we always knew we would do a documentary but we still need to flesh it out and we'd like to talk to more folk with experience in that area. We had thousands of fans involved with video, and quite a few directors and film makers among them. Just post something here as we get the threads ready on the forum and we can at least have a feel of how many people we can pull into this. ~ Phara
Phara on January 7 at 7:50 PM:
Anyone with media connects... same thing. Our story was kept extremely quiet. In fact... when I googled NV through the Huffington Post... THE FUCKING ARTICLE WAS ONLY IN THE UK VERSION. :/ Seriously, that's some bullshit. Whatever. Let's go PR people. You guys know Immortal Technique? Yea we do too. Love him. Should have listened to his advice and gave the defense money to a publicist instead of garbage lawyers. I have a pretty impressive set of connections and I know a shit ton of you guys do as well. Keep in mind that the press in this country for the most part is garbage and everything we are is pretty anti-establishment, so.... WE NEED TO CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT IT. Cuz they sure as hell won't.
Phara on January 7 at 8:48 PM:
I'm so disgusted that I'm going to post this. FML. Look... a lot of people can't stand my ass, and this isn't going to help any... but I will use every single tool at my disposal for this community. I'm attractive. Shocking, yes. I should be a troll in a basement with acne and pizza shoved between my fat rolls. But I'm not... so, good job feds, I am the last person you want to be the poster child. Anyone with any connections to Maxim, GQ, Esquire, FEDS, any of the mens' mags... start posting and let me know. I'm not doing nude shoots, but I'm not a stranger to modeling. People love a beautiful victim and I'm prettier than the MPAA. If this post gets a horrible rxn I'm just going to delete it.
Some part of this didn't sit well with the US government; I think they weren't happy with having an outspoken convict eager to publicize her story. On Friday at 8:22 AM, Candeelion posted this message:
So Phara is about to head to court. The things that she said here on FB caused the gov't to file a motion to have her ability to self surrender taken away. This morning will decide if she has to go to state lock up until a bed in federal prison opens for her. Keep her in your thoughts!!
Three hours later, at 10:43 AM, Candeelion:
UPDATE: They took Phara into custody. I'm going to go and cry then start contacting people.
Even after she was sent to prison, NinjaVideo's Facebook Page posted three lengthy notes: The Government's Motion -- it's horribly formatted sorry for that, Phara's reply to the motion -- also poor formatting sorry, and Hana's response to the gov't motion. If you're interested in the broader NinjaVideo story, they're worth at least a skim.
NinjaVideo's Facebook Page is completely public, and Phara knew this. She was going to go to prison anyway – were her Facebook posts really worth the risk of speeding up the process?
See also:
- Australian deported from Bahrain over Facebook posts
- Arrested: man planned sex with 12-year-old girl he met on Facebook
- Russians use Facebook to protest alleged election fraud
- Man tries to sell son on Facebook for $20 million
- Man arrested for allegedly insulting Thailand's king on Facebook
- UK men lose appeals against four-year Facebook riot sentences