Austin Jones Child Pornography Arrest

Overview

Austin Jones Child Pornography Arrest refers to the arrest of 24-year-old YouTuber Austin Jones, known for his a capella covers of various popular songs, who was detained by police in mid-June 2017 on two counts of producing child pornography, allegedly for soliciting sexually explicit videos from underage girls. Currently, he faces anywhere from 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted.^[1][2]

Background

2015 Controversy

In February 2013, Austin Jones uploaded his first video to YouTube, featuring an acoustic cover of the 2012 dance-pop song "Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever)" by The Ready Set.^[6] Over the next five years, the channel accumulated over 25 million video views and 500,000 subscribers. On May 10th, 2015, the Tumblr blog PupFresh published a post titled "Austin Jones Asking Underage Girls to Twerk For Him," which accused Jones of sending requesting inappropriate sexual images from underage girls. On June 29th, Jones posted a video titled "Setting The Record Straight," in which he apologized for asking fans to send him twerking videos but denied requesting any nude photos from the girls (shown below).

2017 Arrest

On June 12th, 2017, Jones was taken into police custody while traveling at the Chicago International Airport on two counts of producing child pornography for allegedly requesting sexually explicit videos from underage girls. The full offense description is as follows:

"knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, and enticed a minor, namely Victim A, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, which visual depiction defendant knew and had reason to know would be transported and transmitted using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, and which visual depiction was transported and transmitted using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce"

Developments

Actual texts from Austin Jones

Following the arrest, text messages allegedly sent by Jones were posted online in the case file.^[7]

JONES: Wait…. you’re 14?
VICTIM B: Yea I’m a youngster JONES: [Victim B’s first name], do you realize how lucky you are?!?!
JONES: I seriously shouldn’t even be talking to you….
VICTIM B: Why JONES: Because you’re young
VICTIM B: You’re young too tho
JONES: I’M 23!!

During the conversation, Victim B stated that she was JONES’s biggest fan. JONES repeatedly told her that she was “so lucky” to have his attention and that she needed to “prove” that she was his biggest fan. JONES stated that he wanted
to “spank” Victim B, and told her to “[t]hink about how amazing that would be for you!! To have your favorite singer spanking your ass!” He then said, “If you’re lucky, maybe I’d let you suck my dick.”

Victim B then stated to JONES that she wanted to “make you happy an all but I don’t was either of us getting inn trouble over it,” to which JONES responded “Of course you can keep making videos! You’re doing a great job! and nothing is going to happen.” JONES then stated that “I guess you really aren’t my biggest fan…..ok then.” He then threatened to leave the chat unless Victim B would do as he said. She responded that she would “do as much as I can.”

JONES: Bend over halfway (doesn’t have to be all the way), put your left hand on your left butt cheek, and then your right hand on your right butt cheek, and then clap them together!! Repeatedly . . . got it?!”

JONES: Instead of clapping them, how about you just spread your cheeks for 10 seconds then. Would that be easier?

JONES: Your wedgie has to be good enough so that when you spread your cheeks, it shows the edges of your butthole . . . OMG that would be so funny!

JONES: Did your butthole show??? VICTIM B: Not sure lol VICTIM B: But this wedge is very uncomfortable!!

JONES: Omg then just take them off!! JONES: Should you just not wear any bottoms at all? Your butthole would look much better then

JONES: Okay. Go make it clap super loud and talk about your age the whole time. Got it?

JONES: Clap it super loud. And say these lines: I’m only (age), yeah only (age) years old, this ass is only (age) years old

JONES: If you really are my biggest fan, you would do it! You’re doing so good I need my biggest fan to be confident. It’ll be so funny if you do it without them! Like as soon as you spread them, omg. We’ll both laugh

JONES: I’m trying to help you so much

JONES: I have to see your butthole to know for sure that you care 100%

Online Reaction

On June 13th, 2017, YouTuber Social Response posted a video reacting to the allegations (shown below, left). The following day, YouTuber Keemstar uploaded an episode of Drama Alert on the controversy (shown below, right).

The following day, YouTuber Philip DeFranco uploaded a video discussing Jones' arrest, which gathered upwards of 1.8 million views and 20,100 comments within 72 hours (shown below).

Released on Bail

On June 15th, Jones was released from jail on a $100,000 bond with orders that he must abstain from using the internet while awaiting trial.^[8]

Guilty Plea

On February 2nd, 2019, it was reported that Jones pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 3rd and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.^[9]

In his plea agreement, Jones "acknowledged that he had conversations online with six teenage girls, ages 14 and 15, from 2010 to 2017." These interactions included requesting and encouraging 14- and 15-year-old girls to send him sexually explicit videos, including one instance where he claimed sending video would "prove" her fandom.

According to the federal indictment,^[10] Jones interacted with a 14-year-old girl, who explicitly stated her age, resulting in a charge of "Production of Child Pornography." In their conversations, and through Jones's participation and encouragement, the videos produced videos of young women exposing their genitals.

Sentencing

In May 2019, it was reported that Jones was sentenced to 10 years in prison.^[11] In his sentencing, district judge John Lee said: “I don’t think it’d be an exaggeration to say the victims here were probably some of his biggest fans, who cared so much about him, and yet for whom Mr. Jones cared so little. I realize that you yourself suffered a great deal while you were growing up, and I’m deeply sorry for the treatment you received from your own father, but Mr. Jones, you of all people should know the tremendous harm that you were causing these girls that you targeted and preyed upon when you were doing it.”

Search Interest

External References