YouTube Singer Austin Jones Faces Child Porn Charges

CHICAGO, IL — YouTube singer Austin Jones faces child pornography charges after he was accused of online messaging underage girls to ask them to record sexually explicit videos and then send them to him, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago. Jones, 24, of Bloomingdale, was arrested at O'Hare International Airport on Monday, and he was charged with two counts of production of child pornography. He's currently in federal custody until a detention hearing Wednesday afternoon. Federal prosecutors, however, are arguing that he's a flight risk and a danger to the community, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

According to prosecutors, Jones asked a 14-year-old girl to "prove" she was his biggest fan by creating and sending an illicit video. The complaint also states that the online singer and celebrity chatted explicitly over Facebook Messenger and Apple iMessage with another 14-year-old girl, whom he convinced to send 15 videos of her dancing. Prosecutors allege that in many of the videos, the girl is naked from the waist down, and she is dancing while repeating, "I'm 14 years old." (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Jones, an official Warped Tour YouTuber, has been fighting allegations in recent years that he has been urging female fans to send him sexually explicit videos. A 2015 story on the music blog PupFresh.com accused Jones of lying about his age to teenage girls so that they would send him twerking videos. The article also included screen shots of alleged texts and online messages from Jones to these girls.

In a Facebook post from 2015 that has since been deleted, Jones claimed he only asked female fans to send twerking videos, and it never went beyond that, according to music magazine Alternative Press. He also apologized for not communicating properly with his fans and for embarrassing his friends and family. Here's an excerpt of that post:

"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.

"I'm embarrassed. 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.

"EVER.

"I recognize now how odd all of this sounds.

"I recognize how much I've embarrassed myself, my family and my fans. That is the reason I am coming forward today. I didn't want to wait another day to apologize.

"To anyone that I have made feel uncomfortable or awkward, I am deeply sorry for the hurt and shame I may have caused you.

"I NEVER intended to mistreat or humiliate anyone.

"I also offer a heartfelt and sincere apology to my family, friends and fans whom I have let down because of my actions."

If convicted, each count carries a minimum of 15 years in prison, according to prosecutors.

YouTube singer Austin Jones (Screen shot from music video via YouTube)

Like What You're Reading? Stay Patched In!

• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Check out the Events Calendar for what’s going on