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 covers of pop music, 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.
Austin’s own renditions of songs from artists like Justin Bieber, Twenty One Pilots and Fall Out Boy have amassed upwards of 25 million views since starting his YouTube page in 2007. According to his Instagram, which boasts more than 300,000 followers, Jones was previously on tour and recently performed in Poland.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmHWPCzIfW0?wmode=transparent&w=560&h=315]
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.”
He also said, “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,” Jones continued. It’s unclear if legal action was brought against the internet personality for this incident.
Jones has yet to comment on his arrest. E! News has reached out for comment.
