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    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

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