Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Chicago Tribune

    YouTube star faces prison for coercing teen admirers to perform sexually explicit dances in live online chats

    by Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune May 02, 2019 5 minutes

    CHICAGO - The young fans who lifted Austin Jones to internet stardom were devout in their affection, the way only teenage girls can be.

    Crowds would swarm the singer after his shows, and his admirers - many connecting to songs that hinted at Jones' own traumatic history - flooded him with messages confiding in him about their own abuse and depression.

    It was among those devoted fans that Jones found his victims, coercing underage girls to perform sexually explicit dances during live online chats by promising modeling opportunities, Instagram stardom and his valuable attention.

    "ohmygoodness that's amazing!!" one victim responded when Jones told her she had "a lot of modeling potential," according to prosecutors.

    On Friday, the U.S. attorney's office will seek an 11-year prison sentence for Jones, 26, in Chicago's federal court following his guilty plea in February to child pornography charges. The resident of west

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from Chicago Tribune

    Chicago Tribune3 min read
    Sky Players Voice Confidence In New Team Identity Under Teresa Weatherspoon: ‘She’s Allowing Us To Be Ourselves’
    CHICAGO — There’s just one week until Teresa Weatherspoon makes her mark on the WNBA — for the second time in her Hall of Fame career. The Chicago Sky’s new head coach will make her debut at the helm of a professional team next week with the Sky’s se
    Chicago Tribune2 min read
    Third Member Of Great Horned Owl Family Found Dead In Chicago's Lincoln Park
    CHICAGO — The third and final member of a family of great horned owls living in Lincoln Park’s North Pond was found dead Thursday morning. Experts said the bird is suspected to have died from rodent poisoning. The adult female owl was found covered i
    Chicago Tribune3 min read
    ‘Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Review: Simian, Begin Again
    Strange thing: The recent 2011-17 films in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, now joined by the chapter opening this week, follow a similar narrative cycle of peril, punishment, survival. And yet these these movies, spaced out in ways Marvel never l

    Related Books & Audiobooks