Dortmund court issues 270,000-euro penal order against YouTuber JP Kraemer

The penal order

The Amtsgericht Dortmund has issued a penal order, a Strafbefehl, against Jean Pierre "JP" Kraemer, the 46-year-old German YouTube star known for the channel "Die PS-Profis". The order sets a fine of 270,000 euros, made up of 90 daily rates of 3,000 euros each, and the money is payable to the state rather than to the victim. The charges are bodily injury in two cases and property damage, and all of them concern his wife, from whom he has separated and is now divorcing. According to the court, the property damage involves a necklace he allegedly tore from her neck. A court spokesperson confirmed the order after a Bild report had first covered it, and said the wife remains free to bring civil claims, because the fine is a penalty rather than compensation.

The allegations

The allegations centre on domestic violence. Kraemer is accused of hitting his wife with the flat of his hand to the face. Reports describe surveillance camera footage that shows him pulling her hair, pushing her, grabbing her by the neck and pressing her against a wall. Kraemer has partly admitted the accusations in a video on his channel, in which he spoke of at least one blow with the flat hand and of tearing a chain from her neck. In that video he also accused his wife of hitting him first, a claim she rejected. She told Bild that she had struck his chest in a defensive situation. In a later video he apologised to her.

Business fallout

Several companies have ended their cooperation with Kraemer's company group since the allegations became known. The group employs around 80 people. Kraemer had earlier put its annual turnover at about 100 million euros in a podcast, a figure he gave himself. He became known as a Ruhr-area tuning figure who modified cars and earned millions from it, and that career is now tied to these allegations.

What happens next

Kraemer has not yet received the penal order. Once it is served to him, he has two weeks to file an objection, and an objection would lead to an oral hearing in court. If he does not object, the order becomes final and he avoids a trial. The Dortmund prosecutor's office has also opened a separate investigation, and if it establishes further acts of violence, Kraemer could still be required to face a public trial. Kraemer's account, including his claim that his wife struck him first, has not been tested in court.