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A singer with more than half a million subscribers on YouTube is accused of instructing two young female fans to make sexually explicit videos.
Austin Jones allegedly told one of the girls that sending him the footage would prove what she said about being his ‘biggest fan’, according to court papers.
The 24-year-old from Bloomingdale in the US state of Illinois has been charged with two counts of production of child pornography.
If he is found guilty, each count carries a prison sentence of 15 to 30 years.
Jones has 547,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he posts videos of his original songs and covers of artists including Justin Bieber, and 226,000 followers on Twitter, many of whom are teenagers.
Both of the girls allegedly targeted by Jones were about 14 years old when he encouraged them to make the videos, according to the criminal complaint.
In August 2016 and May 2017, Jones allegedly directed the girls by telling them how to perform sex acts, what to wear and say.
He is accused of describing the videos as ‘try outs’.
The complaint said that he encouraged the victims to continue when they expressed doubts, with one repeatedly telling Jones she was just 14.
He allegedly told one of the girls: ‘I seriously shouldn’t be talking to you.’
In an online chat with the same victim, he allegedly wrote: ‘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 was arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and remains in a federal jail in the city. A bond hearing has been set for Wednesday.
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