Nick Rekieta's sentencing hearing is coming up this week and I have written a letter of support for him. I am choosing to share this publicly because I know the people who obsessively stalk his case will release it when it hits the public docket. I am not ashamed to offer my support to one of my good friends. I would hope that if I were in a similar situation, my friends would continue to support and root for the best outcome for me. This is the letter that will be submitted to court this week.
Dear Judge Wentzel,
I've known Nick Rekieta professionally and personally since 2022. Nick created an entirely new type of entertainment covering legal battles on YouTube that was wildly successful. His commitment to his work and his love of the law drove him to be one of the most successful law channels on YouTube drawing hundreds of thousands of people to engage in legal discussions. Nick’s unique style of covering trials from gavel to gavel with humor, legal analysis, and irreverence led to multiple law channels gaining notoriety and popularity. The law became approachable for the average person through Nick’s invention. Several channels became successful because of his model and an entire community known as “LawTube” grew out of Nick’s influence. This led to many people becoming interested in the law, going to law school, becoming lawyers, making life-long friends who shared interests in legal battles, and changed the trajectory of many lives for the better, including mine. My channel was positively impacted by Nick’s unique approach to online entertainment and his direct help and advice.
Like a vast majority of lawyers, Nick struggled with substance abuse. This is a well-known and studied problem in the legal profession. It is so widespread that every bar association has programs and resources for lawyers with substance abuse problems. The stress of quickly attained fame and fortune is also often a catalyst for substance abuse that is also widely acknowledged in the entertainment industry. Nick’s meteoric rise to success no doubt played a role in his mistakes.
Nick has acknowledged he broke the law and has taken responsibility for it by pleading guilty to possession. The community and his family would not be served by his incarceration but would be served by his rehabilitation and his ability to get back to the job he loves: explaining the law to his audience while entertaining them and supporting his family.
In the years I have known Nick, I have known him to be generous with his time and helpful to anyone who wanted to know how to be successful on YouTube. He has a genuine desire to help others and has helped me on many occasions whether it was to give advice about my channel or to just be a friend and listen when I needed someone to talk to. Nick is loyal, kind, empathetic, smart, and passionate about his work. He is a good friend. And good friends are rare.
I have also witnessed Nick’s interaction with his children and know they deeply love him and they share a loving, lighthearted banter that only loved children have with their parent. It is unmistakable that they love him and he them. Being a present father is important to Nick. Nick is also the main caregiver to his children, responsible for all of the transportation to school events and classes. His children would not be served by a separation from their father and the state should not take a father from his children unless he is a danger to society and it is a last option. Nick Rekieta is only capable of being a danger to himself and I believe he will recover and make better choices.
This is Nick’s first offense against the law. I believe he can recover and the community should invest in helping him do that. Everyone deserves a second chance. Many other people have completed diversionary programs and recovered their lives. It is my belief that Nick Rekieta can recover his life and thrive after this unfortunate episode, which I remain hopeful is a temporary setback in an otherwise amazing career and future.
I hope the court sees the man I know and not the one gossiped about for cheap laughs or the persona fighting back against the gossip publicly. The Nick I know is a man who loves his family, helps those around him, makes mistakes, and then inspires others to be good humans. Nick is also deeply remorseful of any harm or pain that he has caused to his children and his family. He may not discuss it publicly, but privately, he is devastated.
Many times, Nick used his platform to raise money for audience members in need by advertising their GoFundMe accounts. Nightly, he would talk to them about their struggles, including thoughts of self harm, and he always encouraged them to find something to smile about and try again. I have heard from many individuals who told me, “Rekieta Law saved my life” after reaching out to Nick in a dark time and finding someone who cared to respond.
I pray the court will honor the plea agreement in this case and refer Nick Rekieta for probation.
Sincerely,
Megan Fox
Author/Journalist
