Overview

William Banks' Jail Stint refers to the alleged incarceration and imprisonment of Twitter / X user William Banks, also known as Billy Banks or @williambanks_, who was arrested in the state of Connecticut in December 2023 for allegedly stealing and throwing away pro-Israel, Zionist signs. In November 2024, Banks was allegedly sentenced to eight months in prison. A movement to free William Banks became a viral topic online, akin to the pro-Palestine movement amid the 2023-2024 Hamas-Israel Conflict. Banks soon acquired a cell phone in prison and began posting content allegedly from within the jail. His videos, photos and tweets featuring his cellmates and life behind bars went viral on social media. However, many believed that Banks was faking his imprisonment as part of an elaborate bit or hoax. For instance, an inmate named William Banks didn't appear in the Connecticut inmate search in December 2024.

Background

On December 30th, 2023, 27-year-old New York City resident William Banks was arrested in Westport, Connecticut for allegedly stealing and throwing away pro-Israel signs. He was released on a $500 bond but had to appear in court on March 19th, 2024.^[1]

On October 10th, 2024, William Banks posted a tweet^[2] claiming that he'd been sentenced to eight months in jail beginning on November 15th. His tweet received over 1,700 likes in two months (shown below).

Banks also posted about his alleged prison sentence with a TikTok^[3] slideshow on October 17th, which amassed over 330,000 plays and 40,600 likes in two months.

In the following weeks, Banks posted more content about his alleged conviction. For instance, on November 14th, 2024, he tweeted^[4] a video of him doing stand-up and discussing his upcoming jail time, receiving over 74,000 views and 200 likes in a month (shown below).

Goodbye for now. I am going to jail tomorrow. #FreeWilliamBanks pic.twitter.com/KgJWIJvH4o

— William Banks (@williambanks_) November 14, 2024

After November 15th, Banks' social media presence went dormant until December 9th, 2024, when he posted a tweet^[4] reading, "Got a phone," including a photo of him and other inmates. The tweet amassed over 25,000 likes in 17 days (shown below).

On December 11th, Banks posted a video to X^[5] captioned, "Life update," in which he said that "Life here is pretty good" and that he's making a lot of friends. He also introduced his alleged cellmate Ant who got the phone for him. Ant asked at one point if he was doing a vlog. Over 15 days, the tweet amassed over 5,300 likes (shown below).

life update pic.twitter.com/D8Bjsbadv9

— William Banks (@williambanks_) December 11, 2024

Banks' videos and tweets allegedly from within the prison continued to attract virality in the following weeks. For instance, on December 20th, 2024, he posted a video on X^[6] captioned, "Our Christmas tree," showing a photo of a Christmas tree taped to his cell's wall. The post received over 10,000 likes in six days (shown below).

our Christmas tree pic.twitter.com/G5Zb2k3lHI

— William Banks (@williambanks_) December 20, 2024

Online Reaction

Notably starting in December 2024, Banks attracted viral reactions from other X users via quote tweets and replies. For instance, on December 10th, X^[7] user @heshski quote tweeted his "Got a phone" post, informing people about the tweet's context. Over 15 days, the post received over 60,000 likes (shown below).

Hoax Speculation

On December 20th, 2024, X^[8] user @billybrizzle420 quote tweeted Banks' "Our Christmas tree" video, speculating that Banks was doing an elaborate bit. In subsequent replies, many compared Banks to Dan Hentschel. Over six days, the post received over 10,000 likes (shown below).

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

Per the Connecticut State Department of Correction's inmate search,^[9] a prisoner named William Banks does not appear in the database. However, a William Banks born in 1996 does appear in the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch "Pending Criminal/Motor Vehicle" search,^[10] where the case's status is listed as "Awaiting Disposition."

Search Interest

External References