UFC legend B.J. Penn arrested for 4th time in 3 weeks amid imposter family saga

Former UFC two-division champion B.J. Penn was once again arrested by Hawaii police Thursday morning and charged for violating a temporary restraining order. It was Penn's fourth arrest in a span of three weeks, with his prior arrests all relating to Penn's ongoing claims that his family has been murdered and replaced with imposters.

Hawaii authorities stated that they responded to a report in the area of Pu‘u‘eo Street in Hilo at 11:15 a.m., and that Penn, a UFC Hall of Famer, had "entered within a residence, violating the terms of a temporary restraining order in which Penn is the respondent."

"Penn was located within the area and arrested without incident. He was processed at the Hilo Police Station and released after posting bail, which was set at $3,000. He is slated to make his initial appearance in family court on Friday, June 13, 2025, at 11:30 a.m."

Hawaii authorities did not specify the nature of the temporary restraining order, however Penn's mother Lorraine Shin, 79, filed for a temporary restraining order against her son in late May. Judge Jeffrey Ng approved the order, which is to remain active for at least 180 days. Penn is expected to remain at least 100 feet away from his mother and is not allowed to contact Shin while the temporary order is in place. Continued violations of the judge's terms could result in misdemeanors and potential jail time.

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Penn, 46, was previously arrested three times in a span of six days in late May. The first two incidents occurred on May 25 and then again on May 26, both on charges of abuse of a family or household member. Penn's third arrest occurred as a result of the former UFC champion failing to appear in court and thus violating his bail agreement.

According to court documents previously obtained by MMA Fighting, Shin alleges she has endured “extreme psychological abuse” at the hands of her son, with Penn accusing her of being an imposter who “killed his family” and assumed his mother’s identity. Shin told a Hawaii court she believes her son suffers from Capgras syndrome, a rare psychological disorder that often causes people to falsely believe those close to them are imposters masquerading as family or friends.

While there is no single known cause, brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases are believed to be among the potential mitigating factors, along with schizophrenia or other mental-health conditions.

“I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome [a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter],” Shin wrote in a statement provided to authorities. “He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.”

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In Shin’s initial request for a restraining order, she alleged a disturbing pattern of behavior from Penn. After returning from a trip in early May, Shin said, she noticed many of her belongings “such as clothes, shoes, jewelry, personal items” and even her bed had all been removed from her bedroom. Shin filed a police report after Penn denied taking the items, she said, and a few days later her purse “with my driver’s license, credit card and locks for my safe” were also stolen.

Shin said she then put up security cameras inside and outside the home, while also installing a deadbolt lock on her bedroom door. According to Shin, Penn took down or tampered with the cameras and “also put glue into my dead bolts that stopped me from opening my bedroom door.”

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Shin claimed Penn then stole her mail and aggressively shined a flashlight in her face on the night of May 25 when confronted. In order to prevent her from calling the police, Shin claimed Penn "grabbed my arms and shoved me against the 4-door gray sedan, which I felt a sharp pain in my back," resulting in her screaming for Penn's younger brother, Reagan, to come help. Penn was ultimately arrested and ordered to stay away from his mother's home for 48 hours, however Shin claimed she caught Penn breaking into her home again the following day. As a result, Penn was again arrested for violating the police order.

Penn has made multiple posts on social media in recent months alleging his family has been murdered and replaced by imposters. A video posted May 17 shows Penn arguing with a woman who appears to be Shin, accusing her of being an “identity thief” who is not actually his mother. A subsequent video posted May 27 refers to Shin as "FAKE LORRAINE SHIN" and a "murdering theif."

Penn last fought in the UFC in May 2019, suffering a then-record seventh consecutive loss. He was subsequently released by the UFC after video surfaced of Penn in a street fight outside a Hawaii bar.

“He won't fight again. That's it. That's a wrap,” UFC CEO Dana White said in 2019. “It's not even that this was the last straw. I didn't love him continuing to fight anyway. But when you have the relationship that he and I have, and he's getting me on the phone begging me for another fight, begging me for another opportunity, it's hard for me to turn him down. But after what I saw on that video, B.J. needs to focus on his personal life and get himself together before he thinks about fighting again.”