Did drug suspect Charles Dion Mcdowell get judge-approved surgery to reduce his neck size after his mugshot went viral because his neck seemed to be unusually wide on it? No, that's not true: the surgery part of the story was made up by a known "fauxtire" site that invents stories for entertainment purposes, often involving weird crimes or sex acts. It is not real.
The story originated from an article published by Huzlers on November 19, 2018 titled "Florida's "Neck Guy" Undergoes Plastic Surgery To Decrease Neck Size With Permission From Judge" (archived here) which opened:
FLORIDA - After Charles Dion Mcdowell was arrested for drug charges earlier this week, he has become an internet sensation for his abnormally sized neck, drawing jokes by thousands of social media users. According to reports, Charles could not handle the jokes and decided to surgically decrease the size of his neck with the permission of a judge.
According to reports, Charles Dion Mcdowell reportedly begged the judge to allow him to undergo plastic surgery to make his neck "normal", the judge reportedly felt "so bad" for Charles that permission was granted. "How could i say no" said Judge John Joyce, "the man looked like Bane from Batman".
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Florida's "Neck Guy" Undergoes Plastic Surgery To Decrease Neck Size With Permission From Judge
FLORIDA - After Charles Dion Mcdowell was arrested for drug charges earlier this week, he has become an internet sensation for his abnormally sized neck, drawing jokes by thousands of social media users. According to reports, Charles could not handle the jokes and decided to surgically decrease the size of his neck with the permission ...
McDowell's mugshot did indeed go viral in November 2018 after he was arrested and his mugshot was placed online on the 13th:
Man's mugshot goes viral due to his unusually large neck
Authorities in Florida caused quite a stir with a Facebook post featuring the mugshot of a man arrested on multiple drug-related charges. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office took to social media on Nov. 13 to share the news that it had apprehended Charles Dion McDowell, who had previously been on the lam.
But the "after" picture is clearly manipulated since surgical wounds don't heal that fast: the date on the picture puts it five days after the first mugshot so even if he had been operated on right away there would still be scars, bruising or bandages visible.
Huzlers styles itself as a "fauxtire" website, it carries a disclaimer at the bottom of each page:
Huzlers.com is the most infamous fauxtire & satire entertainment website in the world. If it's trending on social media you'll find it here!
According to Splinter News the site is run by Pablo Reyes and David Martinez and according to Buzzfeed Reyes is involved with several other fake news websites. They tend to shy away from political stories, opting instead to write for a more "urban" audience, with stories about rappers, criminals and celebrities.
We wrote about huzlers.com before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:
- Fake News: Man Did NOT Beat Little Brother After He Found Him Masturbating During "No Nut November"
- Fake News: Bill Nye The Science Guy NOT Arrested For Manufacturing And Distribution Of Drugs From His Lab
- Fake News: New Scientific Study Did NOT Show 95% Of Men Who Wear Skinny Jeans Are Attracted To Men
- Fake News: Man Did NOT Die From E. Coli After Eating Girlfriends Booty For The First Time
- Fake News: Doctors Did NOT Admit Crystal Meth Is Actually Good For You
