Popular children's YouTube vlogger Starlit 'JinBop' Zhao has been arrested by US federal investigators for allegedly grooming an underage fan for sex.
Zhao, 24, was arrested at the Detroit Metro airport, where he was alleged to be on his way to meet the 15-year-old fan.
News of his arrest appeared over the weekend through the YouTube news channel Scarce, with Zhao still in police custody.
Documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan claim he engaged in illicit online behaviour with the 15-year-old girl over the course of several months.
A court document said: "The defendant acted in a deliberate, sexually predatory manner toward a fan he knew to be a minor (14 to 15 years old at all times relevant hereto) over many months in a manner designed to 'groom' her to participate in the production of child pornography and further to participate in direct sexual activity with the defendant."
The YouTuber, who has more than 400,000 subscribers, is famous for creating content for young teens, with investigators suggesting this would serve 'as a possible entrée into communication with minors'.
The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has contributed to Zhao's YouTube channel in providing graphics and voiceovers.
Earlier this year, when the fan was 14, her parents are believed to have grown concerned about her Skype calls with Zhao.
After she began purchasing lingerie 'she would not typically wear' and wearing a locket with his picture around her neck, her parents began monitoring her time online. The girl's parents are then reported to have obtained an audio recording in which Zhao can allegedly be heard asking the girl to strip off.
In the same conversation, Zhao is alleged to have acknowledged that she was underage and to have made plans to meet in person and to have sex.
Zhao's final YouTube video was posted on August 10th.
A May Skype call observed by an FBI agent allegedly saw Zhao and the girl discuss oral sex.
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