Former YouTube Celebrity Austin Jones Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Child Pornography

A federal judge in Chicago sentenced former YouTube celebrity Austin Jones to 10 years in prison and 8 years of mandatory supervised release for enticing young girls to produce sexually explicit videos of themselves on Friday. In February the 26- year old You Tuber had pleaded guilty.

In a court filing reported by the Chicago Tribune, the prosecutors said Jones "preyed on their youth, their vulnerabilities and most glaringly, their adoration of him, and he did it over and over again." Jones’ large teenage fan following and popularity helped him to force teenage girls to sending him the videos. The musician from Bloomingdale, Illinois, was arrested and charged with production of child pornography in 2017 after rumors of his inappropriate behavior with fans surfaced online. His YouTube channel was terminated following the arrest.

In his plea agreement, Jones explains how he manipulated an underage girl to prove that she was his biggest fan by sending him sexually explicit videos. He coached the girls on what he expects them to do in those videos. " I'm just trying to help you! I know you're trying your hardest to prove you're my biggest fan. And I don't want to have to find someone else," Jones told one 14-year-old victim via Facebook messenger, according to the filing in the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse .

Prosecutors explained that Facebook used its social media service’s private messaging feature to tip off the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about his conversations with the girls.

Two girls and two parents testified against him at the Dirksen U.S Courthouse. One of the victims even admitted of being institutionalized for four months while her father had to sleep in a chair next to her, praying she didn’t commit suicide, reported WGN9.The prosecutors also stated that Jones attempted to entice almost 30 other underaged girls into sending him videos before getting arrested at the O’Hare International Airport in June 2017.

Jones' defense lawyers had asked for a reduced sentence, claiming that he was a sexual abuse victim as a child. They also said he had suffered from severe depression and mental health problems due to the abuse. Jones apologized in court Friday and said he was deeply disgusted with his actions and is willing accept treatment.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago, Joseph Fitzpatrick ,said that “Jones was allowed to go home on Friday but he will be back in court on Monday where a judge will determine when and where he will begin serving his sentence,” reported ENews.