Twitter troll PRGuy17 reveals himself as Jeremy Maluta in a bid to raise money for a potential defamation battle

The man behind the high-profile Twitter account @PRGuy17 was forced to go public after right-wing commentator Avi Yemini threatened to pursue defamation action against him.

The man behind the high-profile Twitter account @PRGuy17, has revealed his identity in a bid to raise money for a defamation battle.

Jeremy Maluta identified himself as the person behind the account in a video published by YouTuber FriendlyJourdies on Friday.

Mr Maluta was forced to go public after right-wing commentator Avi Yemini threatened to pursue defamation action against the identity behind the embattled account.

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Twitter has previously refused to unveil the identity – unless ordered to by a court.

The pro-Labor account has gained more than 95,000 followers since joining Twitter in March 2020.

The account has been highly critical of mainstream media and is a staunch supporter of Victorian Premier Dan Andrews, using the hashtag #IStandWithDan as he implemented one of the world’s harshest lockdown restrictions.

Mr Maluta, who spoke in an hour-long interview with FriendlyJourdies, told followers he has no PR or social media experience and has no connections to Mr Andrews.

“I don’t actually have any PR experience, I don’t actually have any social media experience or media experience of any kind,” he said.

“I can confirm I don’t work for Dan Andrews or any political thing whatsoever. Those theories are completely cooked.”

Mr Maluta asked followers to support any potential legal costs through a GoFundMe campaign named ‘Help PRGuy fight for justice”.

“As you know, Avi Yemini and Rebel News have announced plans to sue me,” the page wrote. 

“I have an enormous legal battle ahead of me and, as you can now confirm, I’m not a secret government operative or a shadowy PR firm.

“I’m a regular Aussie guy who is passionate about truth in journalism, social justice and the ability for all of us to speak up safely.

“I need your help. Whatever your politics, this case is a reminder to us all that when we speak out, there can be chilling consequences.”

Mr Maluta claims 100 per cent of funds raised will go towards legal representation.

But Yemini warned followers against donating to his crowdfund page as he has “no legal action against a Jeremy Maluta”.

“I have no legal action against a Jeremy Maluta, so I’m not sure why he’s crowdfunding,” he tweeted.

“@VictoriaPolice, this sounds like a potential case of ‘obtaining property by deception’. Oh, and do I trust the ‘fall guy’?

“I’d need more evidence than PRGuy’s dishonest word for it.”

The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $30,000 since it was created on Friday.