A popular YouTube singer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for soliciting sexually explicit videos from his teenaged female fans.
Austin Jones, age 26, built a strong following by singing a cappella covers of pop hits and had done well in concert tours. But in 2017, he was arrested and charged with two counts of production of child pornography.
The youthful-looking Jones confessed to asking six underage girls to make pornographic videos of themselves and send them to him as a way to prove they were true fans, according to a plea agreement. The girls were as young as 14.
He pleaded guilty in February. US. District Judge John Z. Lee sentenced him to 10 years in federal prison.
“Production and receipt of child pornography are extraordinarily serious offenses that threaten the safety of our children and communities,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Neff Welsh said in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Jones’ actions took something from his victims and their families that they will never be able to get back.”
Jones said in his plea that he used Facebook to persuade the minors to send him videos and pictures about 30 times. He lured them by telling them they were part of a modeling opportunity and that he could assist them in obtaining followers on Instagram.
To mitigate his sentence, Jones claimed he himself was sexually abused as a child.
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