YouTube Star Austin Jones Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

Online personality is known for his acapella covers of popular music songs

By McKenna Aiello Jun 13, 2017 9:06 PMTags

Austin Jones was arrested Monday night on child pornography charges, E! News can confirm.

The YouTube star, who has amassed more than 500,000 subscribers for his acapella pop music covers, was charged with two counts of production of child pornography.

Jones, 24, will appear in court for a detention hearing on Wednesday. According to the Chicago Sun-Times (who was first to report the news), he will remain in federal custody until then because, according to prosecutors, the pop singer is a "risk to the community and there's a danger he'll flee."

If convicted, Austin faces a minimum of 15 years in prison. According to court documents obtained by E! News, Jones was allegedly in communication with two underage female victims in August 2016 and May 2017 over Facebook. The criminal complaint describes Jones requesting one girl to "prove" she was his "biggest fan" by sending him sexually explicit videos. 

The documents claim Jones was stopped by Customs and Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. He was then taken into custody, where he gave a recorded interview admitting to the charges. 

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Mug Shot Mania

Austin's own renditions of songs from artists like Justin BieberTwenty One Pilots and Fall Out Boy have amassed upwards of 25 million views since starting 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. 

The Illinois native is no stranger to controversy and in 2015, Jones issued an apology over allegations that he lied about his age to solicit "twerking" videos from underage girls.

"I'm embarrassed," Jones shared in a lengthy statement via Facebook. "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."

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Stars Who Were Discovered On Youtube

He continued, "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."

It's unclear if legal action was brought against the internet personality for this incident. A Change.Org petition asking Jones be removed from the 2015 Vans Warped Tour lineup over the accusations received nearly 10,000 signatures, which ultimately proved successful. 

Jones has yet to comment on his arrest. E! News has reached out for comment.