A viral police mugshot made Jeremy Meeks an overnight international phenomenon, but behind the gates of his California mansion lay a dark secret.
Dubbed the world’s “Hot Felon”, the convicted criminal was serving federal prison time when global modelling agencies and fashion houses began fighting over him.
Following his release from federal custody, Meeks turned his viral fame into prime <a href="https://industrymovement.com/real-estate-ceo-and-family-shot-attacked-with-hammer-by-masked-intruders-in-home-invasion-robbery/" title="Real estate CEO and family shot, attacked with hammer by masked intruders in home invasion robbery”>real estate, relocating his family to a luxury mansion in Manteca, California.
The sprawling compound features a custom swimming pool and a large fountain in the front courtyard, where the former inmate famously posed beside a Maserati under the caption: “Good to be home.”
“I’m in a place where I will be able to provide for my family and really change my life,” Meeks, now aged 42, said shortly after securing the estate.
“I never thought that everyone in the world would recognise me for my looks, so I feel extremely blessed and very thankful.”
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Jeremy Meeks became a famous model and actor after police posted his mugshot to Facebook and the internet branded him the ‘hot felon’. Picture: Stockton Police Department.
Following his release from federal custody, Meeks turned his viral fame into prime real estate, relocating his family to a luxury mansion in Manteca, California. Picture: Instagram/jmeeksofficial
The road to the multimillion-dollar estate began in June 2014, when Meeks was arrested in Stockton during a law-enforcement sweep targeting gangs and firearms.
Officers discovered a semiautomatic handgun and extended magazines inside his car.
When the Stockton Police Department shared his booking photo on Facebook, the reaction was unlike anything authorities had encountered.
Within 24 hours, the picture racked up tens of thousands of likes and thousands of comments, with social media fixating on his blue eyes, sharp jawline and teardrop tattoo.
The attention quickly spilled over into his cell, with fans sending money, naked photographs and up to 300 letters a day.
Strangers even booked out the jail’s select visitor passes, locking out his own family.
“My family can’t come because I got f***ing random people coming to see me and it was so frustrating,” Meeks said on the Inside True Crime podcast.
“My son’s 5 years old and he doesn’t understand why I’m not home, and he needs to see me.”
Before he even stood trial, Meeks was signed by White Cross Management.
Released to a transitional housing facility in March 2016, he walked straight onto runways for Tommy Hilfiger and Philipp Plein in New York and Milan.
He soon starred alongside supermodel Bar Refaeli and published his autobiography, Model Citizen.
“I stepped fresh out of federal prison into the limelight,” Meeks said. “And my life changed completely.”
Meeks said he was receiving ‘300 letters a day’ from fans, as well as naked pictures. Picture: Inside True Crime
Meeks is a proud dad to Jayden (7) and Jeremy (16). Picture: Instagram/jmeeksofficial
Yet behind the gates of his California mansion, Meeks was battling a past plagued by crime, violence and an escalating drug habit.
At 17, Meeks had survived five gunshot wounds and a savage baseball bat attack that left him with permanent internal injuries.
While his mansion photos projected total redemption, Meeks was quietly spiralling into a severe opioid dependency that cost him $US30,000 ($42,000) a month.
“The opiate situation hit me really hard,” he said. “Through opiates, I never felt weaker and more powerless in my life.”
The turning point came during his high-profile relationship with British billionaire heiress Chloe Green.
While pregnant with their son, Green filmed Meeks nearly overdosing in his sleep to force him to see how close he was to death.
The confrontation prompted him to get clean and rebuild his life for his family.
Now 42 with a reported net worth of $US5m ($7.6m), Meeks has turned to acting, starring in the 2025 film Love After Holidays and focusing on raising his sons, Jeremy Jr and Jayden.
“I never wanted my kids to feel the same things that I felt,” he said.
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