Austin Jones, a YouTube star with over 500,000 subscribers to his online channel, was arrested Monday night on child pornography charges.
Known for his a capella covers of pop songs, the 24-year old was charged this week with two counts of production of child pornography.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, which broke this disturbing piece of news, Jones is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow for a detention hearing.
He must remain in federal custody until then because, according to prosecutors, the singer is a “risk to the community and there’s a danger he’ll flee.”
Yikes.
If convicted, Jones could spend 15 years behind bars.
Court documents obtained by the aforementioned newspaper outline how Jones was allegedly in communication with a pair of underage females in August of 2016 and May of this year.
The exchanges took place via Facebook.
In one instance, a 14-year old told Austin that she was his biggest fan and he asked her to “prove” it by sending him sexually explicit videos.
A resident of Bloomingdale, Illinois, Jones was taken into custody at O’Hare Airport by Customs and Border Patrol and Homeland Security agents.
He reportedly gave a recorded interview at the scene in which he confessed to the charges against him.
In May of 2015, Jones issued a lengthy statement/apology in regard allegations that he lied about his age to solicit “twerking” videos from underage girls.
“I’m embarrassed,” Jones said on Facebook, adding at the time:
“I’d have conversations online with girls that would involve me asking them to create a video of themselves twerking. Sometimes I’d make videos of myself doing some twerk moves in return.
Here’s the truth: I NEVER asked them to do anything more than send a twerking video. Nothing EVER went beyond that.”
Continued Jones by way of explanation two years ago:
“I’ve been in therapy, seeking help to discover why I communicated with my fans in a way that I have come to fully realize was not appropriate…
“To anyone that I have made feel uncomfortable or awkward, I am deeply sorry for the hurt and shame I may have caused you.”
He concluded:
“To those who have and will continue to support me, please know I never meant to let you down and I am doing everything I can – with the help of my family and friends – to pick myself back up and be a better person.
“Thanks for believing in me. Please be good to each other and we’ll see each other soon.”
Austin has achieved viral fame by covering artists such as Justin Bieber, Twenty One Pilots and Fall Out Boy; his videos have garnered over 25 million views since he started his YouTube page in 2007.
In 2014, he released an EP titled “We’ll Fall Together.”
According to his Instagram, which boasts more than 300,000 followers, Jones was previously on tour and recently performed in Poland.
According to this criminal complaint, he asked one 14-year old girl to send him 10 videos of herself exposing her body, telling her what to wear and how to dance in them.
In a conversation last August with another victim, Jones allegedly acknowledged the girl was 14 and that he was 23 at the time.
He supposedly said to her that if she was “lucky,” she would get to perform a sex act on him.
Federal agents say this girl sent him 25 videos, including eight of her exposing her genitals.
After his arrest, Jones admitted requesting and receiving videos from the victims, and he admitted it was for sexual pleasure, based on the complaint.