Two members of the Bloodhound Gang could face criminal prosecution in Russia.
Bassist Evil Jared Hasselhoff sparked an international incident this summer when he desecrated the Russian flag onstage. (If you’re curious to see what he did you can watch the video here .)
The Bloodhound Gang was scheduled to play at the Kubana Festival the week after their now infamous Ukraine show but the band decided to skip town to avoid criminal prosecution.
Well, Russia isn’t going to let a few thousand miles stop them from investigating the incident.
According to the BBC , the Investigative Committee, AKA the Russian FBI, has opened a criminal investigation and has named Evil Jared Hasselhoff (real last name Hennagan) and front man Jimmy Pop (real name James Moyer Franks) as suspects.
The two musicians are being accused of “inciting hatred in an organised group.”
If convicted, the two could face a maximum prison sentence of five years.
The Investigative Committee said in a statement : “Moyer, Hennegan and other unknown persons entered a criminal plot aimed at disgracing Russian citizens and formed a criminal group to that end.”
Shortly after the Ukraine concert Russia’s minister of culture, Vladimir Medinsky, said that the band was not welcome to play in Russia again. Rumor has it that the band has been banned from Russia for the next five years.
The IC will make an exception, however, if they decide to arrest Hasselhoff and Pop and put them in prison. The Investigative Committee said that it was considering placing the two Bloodhound Gang members on its wanted list.
