04/07/2026 12:35 - Judiciales
According to a report by Infobae dated July 4, 2026, Uruguayan influencer Yao Cabrera, who once boasted 25 million followers across social media platforms, has been held at the Bouwer prison in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, since April 2025. His four-year sentence for the crime of reducción a la servidumbre (reduction to servitude) has been finalized, but his family argues that his legal and social situation stems from unjust persecution.
In the Argentine penal code, 'reducción a la servidumbre' is a serious offense occurring when an individual reduces another to a state of dependency and exploitation akin to slavery, depriving them of their freedom of action and forcing them to work under degrading conditions without basic labor rights. In Cabrera's case, the court found him guilty of keeping an unregistered employee who, according to her complaint, suffered mistreatment.
In their first public interview, Yao's mother, Rita, and his brother Matías, alongside their lawyer Fernando Madeo Facente, expressed their profound sorrow. They claim that much more severe crimes—such as sexual abuse, child corruption, and facilitating prostitution—are falsely attributed to the influencer.
Lawyer Madeo Facente argued that Cabrera was a victim of lawfare—persecution through the judicial system. The attorney stated that the justice system condemned him for a crime that, in his view, was not properly proven, noting that Cabrera is likely the only person in Argentina serving actual prison time for this specific legal figure.
“Yao was an amateur content creator; he wasn't a super-criminal, a terrorist, or a drug lord. They ruined his image and ruined his life. When he gets out of prison, he won't be able to walk down the street,” Matías lamented.
The family indicated that many of the accusations circulating on social media originate from a police raid conducted in 2020. During the strict COVID-19 lockdown in Argentina, authorities entered Cabrera's home in Escobar (a district in Greater Buenos Aires) for an alleged quarantine violation. At that time, media outlets replicated versions regarding the discovery of child pornography and narcotics. According to the defense and the family, this is absolutely false and does not appear in the judicial records.
Matías denounced that a single, unidentified person orchestrated a campaign to harm his brother, influencing former employees to file false complaints with promises of obtaining money from a potential conviction.
Rita, who left her career as a Nursing graduate and her life in Uruguay to settle in Argentina with her youngest daughter to be near her son, visits Yao weekly. She describes this as the saddest and most painful experience of her life. Although she mentions that Yao tries to appear strong, she perceives a deep sadness and helplessness in his eyes.
Beyond the sentence, the family faces constant harassment on social networks. Furthermore, Yao has a 3-year-old son residing in Uruguay, whom he cannot see due to his imprisonment. Rita stated that the damage is so profound that the influencer no longer wishes to return to public life or fame once he regains his freedom.
Cabrera set up a 'mansion' in Escobar dedicated to content creation, which catapulted him to fame with millions of followers. However, his figure was always controversial and polarized the public, attracting both the admiration of fans and the rejection of sectors accusing him of being a bad example for the youth.
Data Source: Information published by Infobae on July 4, 2026.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
