YouTube Star Steven Fernandez Arrested For Sexual Exploitation of Minor
Steven Fernandez, a 15-year-old YouTube star, was recently arrested for the sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old girl.
Fernandez, a skateboarder and social media star, reportedly promised a 12-year-old girl he would introduce her to celebrities in exchange for sexual acts, according to the Daily Mail.
The young girl went along with their agreement and performed the sexual act, TMZ reports.
Fernandez, who is from Compton, California, was arrested along with his manager Jose Barajas, 22, and another skateboarder Keelan Dadd, who is 27. Police indicate that Fernandez was the ringleader when it came to persuading young girls to participate in these acts. The males involved in the incident were charged with committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, which is a felony that could land them in prison for up to eight years.
When the event of luring went down police said Fernandez used his YouTube celebrity status to entice his victim to enter a car, which was being driven by Barajas, on Ventura Boulevard on Friday, Nov. 13. The young teen then made the promise to the girl to introduce her to famous people and give her a chance to appear on his fake MTV show, if she would perform sexual acts.
"Yes, it's unusual that we would release the name and photo of an arrested minor," Det. Ninette Toosbuy of the West Valley Detective Division said. "But State law provides for such exceptions in cases where the perpetrator sexually targeted minors."
The police are investigating to see if there are any other possible victims involved in the group's scheme.
Fernandez, being a minor, was released to his mother and forced to wear an ankle tracker until his court appearance.
Barajas and Dadd were both released after they paid their bails, which were set at $475,000 and $200,000, respectively.
Fernandez now has more than 700,000 subscribed to his YouTube channel, which is mostly comprised of skateboarding and prank videos. He joined YouTube in 2012.
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