Viral Mugshots That Could Rival High-Fashion Campaigns

These viral mugshots prove that sometimes the internet has a strange way of turning trouble into unexpected fame!

Sophia

• Published in Interesting
• December 29, 2024

Sometimes reality takes an unexpected turn, especially when mugshots garner more attention for their polished appearances than the crimes behind them. While criminal behavior is never something to celebrate, the internet has a peculiar way of spotlighting the unusual.

Over the years, certain mugshots have gone viral, captivating audiences not because of the charges but because of the striking looks of those in front of the camera.

From smoldering gazes and confident smirks to perfectly coiffed hair and symmetrical jawlines, these arrest photos have taken on lives of their own. They’ve sparked debates about the intersection of beauty, charm, and the influence of social media, raising questions about why society is so quick to turn something as serious as a mugshot into a viral spectacle.

In some cases, these viral moments have even propelled individuals to unexpected fame—leading to modeling contracts, public intrigue, and internet celebrity status.

Take a closer look at these unexpected viral sensations. These mugshots serve as a fascinating glimpse into modern culture’s ability to find beauty in the unexpected, turning moments of infamy into opportunities for internet stardom.

It’s a strange reflection of how looks and the digital age shape our perceptions.

Just take a look at this stellar collection of mugshots...

1. At least eight mugshots would appear on your screen if you were to search online for Sara Jane Isbister

Each featuring a flawless-looking Sara, who has been arrested for the possession of equipment related to illicit substances, for failure to appear in court, and other charges.

2. Nina Dobrev and her fellow Vampire Diaries co-stars were arrested in 2009 for posing a safety hazard in Georgia.

They were allegedly caught “dangling from a bridge," flashing their chests to commuters from an interstate overpass.

Dobrev, who got a stunning mugsot from the ordeal, was booked on disorderly conduct and eventually released.

3. All it took for Jeremy Meeks’ life to turn around was his 2014 mugshot going viral.

The model became a viral sensation and was even dubbed the “hottest criminal in the world.”

He has spent several years of his life behind bars on multiple occasions for different charges, including gun possession, resisting arrest, and assaulting a 16-year-old boy.

But his mugshot became his ticket to fame, leading to him signing a contract with a modeling agency after he stepped out of jail.

4. Veteran actor and former boxer Mickey Rourke was arrested in 1994 on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence.

“I did not resist arrest,” he said after the arrest. “I did not put my hands on anybody, so I'd like to know why did I get arrested?"

“I did not curse at the officer. I cursed at the officer when I was locked up, not out here (at the club),” he admitted.

5. “It’s funny how life works,” said Abbie Newman

whose shoplifting incident at a Walmart in Atlanta helped her rake in tens of thousands of dollars.

Abbie had created an account on an adult-content website in 2021 and would post racy videos. But the money only started pouring in after her “hot” mugshot went viral in 2023.

“In America, for some reason if you look good and you’re a criminal, you make money,” she told the New York Post.

6. The 2011 mugshot of a woman named Jennifer Jensen

...certainly turned heads—not for her drunk-driving charge in sunny Florida but for her smoldering looks.

7. At the age of 19, Justin Bieber was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, drag racing, driving without a valid license, and resisting arrest in 2014.

In his mugshot, he flashed a grin for the camera but later admitted it was not his “finest hour.”

“7 years ago today I was arrested, not my finest hour. Not proud of where I was at in my life,” he wrote years later in a 2021 Instagram post.

“I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, mislead, misunderstood and angry at god.. I also wore too much leather for someone in Miami. All this to say God has brought me a long way.”

8. Even an arrest didn’t dampen stripper Toni Lee Hopkins’ appearance as she posed for a mugshot.

She was arrested in Houston for violating statutes governing sexually oriented businesses.

9. Despite being the prime suspect in one of the most talked-about murders of 2024.

Luigi Mangione has faced no shortage of attention online for his looks.

The 26-year-old received at least 54 emails, 87 physical letters, and 163 financial deposits into his commissary account in the two weeks he spent behind bars for allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“Hey Luigi, I’m certain you’ve received countless messages from people all over the world the internet is actually in love with you,” is just one of the many love notes he has received from fans online.

10. Arrested for disorderly conduct in Dekalb County, Georgia

Angela Coates’s mugshot from 2014 became a viral sensation, with some admirers even offering to pay her $360 bail.

“Y'all and this mugshot s---. I was released the same night lol. This is straight comedy,” she tweeted after her release.

11. Samantha Nesslein’s mugshot sparked significant buzz online

after she was arrested and charged with possession of alcohol by a minor, obstruction without violence, and possession of a false ID in 2020.

12. Another mugshot-to-modeling career story features Mekhi Alante Lucky

who was arrested in 2017 for speeding and driving a stolen vehicle. 

The signed model also made headlines in 2022 after a scuffle with cops, who reportedly knelt on his neck for about 10 seconds.

13. Former Southern Charm star Kathryn Dennis was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) in May this year.

A vehicle registered in her name was also allegedly involved in a hit-and-run incident in South California in October, 2023.

14. Even while posing for a mugshot, Bruno Mars still had it in him to flash a smile at the camera.

The That's What I Like singer was arrested in 2010 and booked on a drug charge in Las Vegas.

When asked why he grinned in his mugshot, he told GQ, “I have no idea. It was a picture.”

“I was really intoxicated. I was really drunk,” he added. “So a lot of that is a big blur, and I try every day to forget and keep pushing.”

He also told Piers Morgan in 2012 that his mugshot is a picture he would like to forget.

15. Everyone’s favorite Keanu Reeves was arrested in 1993 in Los Angeles for drunk driving.

 He managed to avoid formal charges by immediately confessing.

16. Meagan Simmons became the internet’s “hot convict” and “attractive convict” after being arrested in 2010

...on a DUI charge.

After her newfound fame, she did interviews and even said she was open to posing for Playboy.

“I wasn't thinking about doing a good mug shot,” she told HuffPost following her arrest. “I was crying my eyes out and was distraught about the arrest.”

While talking about posing for Playboy, she told the outlet: “If [Hugh Hefner] himself contacted me, I think that's a offer I couldn't refuse.”

17. With multiple arrests over the last two decades

Shia LaBeouf has had multiple run-ins with the law, starting from when he was just 9 years old. He was arrested as a child and held for six hours for stealing a pair of Nike Cortez sneakers.

His days of stardom were marred by arrests after being caught drinking and driving, public intoxication, and even making racist comments about a Black police officer.

18. In 2008, Lorena Tavera made headlines for being the Miss El Paso USA winner.

A few years later, she made the news for reportedly slipping a $69 shirt into a shopping bag and attempting to flee.

She pleaded guilty to theft in 2012 and was sentenced to nine months of probation.

19. No stranger to posing for mugshots, Lindsay Lohan has run into trouble with cops on multiple occasions.

In addition to being caught driving under the influence, she was also arrested for assaulting a woman at a nightclub and allegedly clipping a man with her vehicle.

20. Sean Kory’s distaste for Fox News sent him to jail, but that didn’t stop him from winning hearts online.

“I hate Fox News,” the California man yelled before attacking a man dressed as a Fox News reporter for Halloween in 2014.

Netizens didn’t mind overlooking the fact that he allegedly attacked the man with an aluminum tennis racket, instead going gaga over his smoldering looks.

21. Another Floridian who gave the camera a stunning look

while posing for her mugshot was Gabrielle Hill. She was arrested in 2009 for possession of illegal substances.

22. Celebrity chef Cat Cora had some time to prepare for her mugshot

taken 11 days after she was stopped for driving under the influence in 2012 in her hometown of Santa Barbara. 

“I deeply regret my decision to drive that evening after my designated driver became unavailable. I learned a very important lesson from this experience and take full accountability for my actions. This will never happen again,” she said in a statement following her arrest.

23. Stealing a $5,000 candelabra from the private dining room of a Las Vegas nightclub was the reason for Masha Diduk's arrest in 2022.

Masha, known as Jeff Lowe’s nanny in Netflix’s Tiger King, was captured on surveillance footage leaving the casino wearing the stolen item as an accessory. 

24. Rapper Tyga was arrested in 2021 on charges of felony domestic violence over an altercation with his ex, Camaryn Swanson

He turned himself in after allegedly hitting her but was photographed exiting the police station later that same day.

Officials said that he wouldn’t face criminal charges for the incident as long as he stayed out of legal trouble.

“Michael Ray Stevenson, a.k.a. Tyga, will not be charged with any criminal charges for his domestic violence case as long as he stays out of trouble legally,” a rep for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office told ET in 2022.

“If not, prosecutors could end up filing misdemeanor charges,” the rep added.

25. Back when it was a crime for a man to sleep with a woman under the false promise of marriage

Frank Sinatra was arrested for seduction in 1938 in Bergen County, New Jersey.

He reportedly promised a woman marriage before being intimate with her, according to the official complaint.

The singer had “sexual intercourse with the said complainant, who was then and there a single female of good repute,” the complaint said.

However, the charges became null and void after it was found that the woman was already married.

26. Prior to his days of fame...

...A young Taylor Kinney was arrested in 2002 after being caught drinking in Virginia. Aged 21 at the time, he was booked for public intoxication but has since managed to stay out of legal trouble.

27. Soon after being charged with reckless driving in May this year

Veronica Koval became internet-famous for her mugshot and dished out her beauty secrets in an interview with the New York Post.

“I’m a Botox and filler girl!” she said. “I will 100% tell you that I get Botox done a couple of times a year.”

She also said she learned her lesson about speeding from her arrest.

“I definitely made a mistake,” she told the outlet. “I don’t condone it, [and] I will never speed again.”

28. The son of Monterey County Sheriff Scott Miller

Jacob Miller, was arrested in 2014 for possession of stolen property and one count of possessing methadone.

“He's working hard to put this behind him. Jake is looking forward to taking care of his problems, reclaiming his life, and being a better person,” Monterey County Judge Judy Culver said, revealing her plans to sentence him to one year in county jail followed by a long stay in rehab.

29. The discovery of one marijuana joint in Chace Crawford’s car led to his arrest in 2010.

The Gossip Girl alum was busted in the parking lot of Ringo's Pub in Plano, Texas and faced a misdemeanor charge at the time.

“He was cool,” a source told People following the arrest. “He was on the phone the whole time. [The group] seemed normal. None of them seemed like they were mad or anything.”

30. Khloe Kardashian made sure she dolled up for her mugshot after being caught drinking and driving in 2007.

She revealed on Keeping Up With the Kardashians that her friend Malika Haqq helped her glam up.

“Malika did my hair for my mugshot,” she said. “I did my own makeup.”

In 2008, she served less than three hours of her 30 day sentence for the DUI incident and was released due to overcrowding.

“I really wasn't that drunk,” she said on the show. “It wasn't a high percentage.”

31. Paris Hilton, who served jail time for drunk driving in 2007

was arrested in 2010 for the possession of cocaine.

The socialite was being driven by a friend when cops stopped the car and found a suspicious powder in the vehicle, which was later confirmed to be cocaine.

“Officers noticed a vehicle leaving smoke trail of a controlled substance [and] made a stop based on that,” Police spokesman Marcus Martin said at the time

Viral mugshots are a curious reflection of how beauty and social media intersect in today’s world. They remind us of the internet’s power to elevate even the most unexpected moments into cultural phenomena.

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Sophia