‘Cheer’ star Monica Aldama’s son, 27, is charged with possessing extreme child pornography – after Netflix show was rocked by separate sex abuse scandal involving cast member
The son of “Cheer” star Monica Aldama has been charged with possession of child pornography, including videos showing victims under the age of 10.
Austin Aldama, 27, was arrested in Texas and booked into the Navarro County Jail last Thursday. The arrest warrant references a grand jury indictment on 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
Aldama was released on bail, but must submit to conditions including random drug tests and voluntary searches of his electronic devices. The 27-year-old is also not allowed to view pornographic material.
In the charging documents, prosecutors cite videos showing children under the age of 10 engaging in sex acts. Aldama has yet to enter a plea.
His mother, 51-year-old Monica Aldama, plays a prominent role in the Netflix docuseries ‘Cheer’, which was already rocked by a sex scandal.
Austin Aldama, 27, was arrested in Texas and booked into the Navarro County Jail last Thursday
Aldama’s mother, 51-year-old Monica, rose to fame as coach of the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team, which was featured in the Netflix docuseries ‘Cheer’
Aldama (far right in photo) is accused of possessing videos depicting children under the age of 10 engaged in sexual acts
The show centers on the coed Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team, which Monica coaches. Teammate Jerry Harris rose to fame before being arrested by the FBI in September 2020.
The 24-year-old was charged in federal court in Chicago with child pornography production. He pleaded guilty in February 2022 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
After his arrest, Monica commented on social media that her heart was “broken into a million pieces.”
“I am devastated by this shocking, unexpected news,” she wrote at the time.
“Our children must be protected from abuse and exploitation, and I pray hard for the victims and all those affected.”
The 51-year-old has come under fire herself for allegedly trying to silence a former member of the team who was attacked by another cheerleader.
In May 2023, then 22-year-old Madi Lane filed a federal lawsuit against Monica and two others, accusing the coach of creating a “pervasive culture of sexual harassment, sexual assault and harassment.”
Lane alleged that in September 2021, teammate Salvatore Amico entered her dorm room, crawled into her bed and began taking off her clothes before attacking her.
The show was rocked by a separate sex abuse scandal in 2020, when teammate Jerry Harris was arrested by the FBI and charged with producing child pornography.
He was given a 12-year prison sentence in February 2022 after pleading guilty
Aldama’s famous mother has herself been accused of covering up sexual abuse within the team and was briefly the subject of a lawsuit, which was dropped last year
Former cheerleader Madi Lane accused the 51-year-old of creating a “pervasive culture of sexual harassment, sexual assault and harassment.”
When she complained to senior team members, someone allegedly told her to “drink it down and take your mind off it” because “that’s what Navarro girls do: they drink.” We won’t tell anyone.’
After her boyfriend picked her up and chased her off campus, Lane claimed senior cheerleaders followed them, pointed their guns and threatened to kill them.
When she called the coach to tell her what happened, “Aldama interrupted her and said, ‘Let’s not make a big deal out of this,'” the lawsuit said.
Lane left the team a few days later, with Aldama reportedly promising, “I’ll make sure you can cheer wherever you want,” as long as she stayed quiet.
After reporting the incident to the school’s Title IX office, which declined to investigate, Lane withdrew her enrollment.
The complaint was closed in November and the lawsuit was dismissed.