‘Cheer’ star Monica Aldama’s son Austin charged with 10 counts of child pornography

Austin Aldama, the son of “Cheer” star Monica Aldama, has been arrested and charged with possessing child pornography.

The 27-year-old, whose mother is a former cheerleader on the Navarro College cheerleading squad and a lead on the popular Netflix series, was booked last Thursday in Texas’ Navarro County, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.

A warrant for Austin’s arrest reportedly lists a grand jury indictment with 10 counts of possession of child pornography.

Austin has apparently not been arraigned as of yet, so a plea of guilty or not guilty has not been entered into court.

According to TMZ, after he was booked in the county jail and posed for mug shots, Austin was released on bond under conditions that included that he may have to submit to random drug testing and voluntary searches of his phone and computer. He is also prohibited from viewing pornographic images under any circumstances.

According to the legal documents, prosecutors state that they have evidence against Austin including numerous videos with file names listing children under the age of 10 engaged in sex acts.

The Post has reached out to reps for Austin and Monica Aldama for comment.

This is not the first time that someone in associated with the “Cheer” series has faced a child pornography scandal.

In July 2022, a federal judge sentenced Jerry Harris, 24, a former star of the Netflix documentary series “Cheer,” to 12 years in prison for coercing teenage boys to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. He was also convicted of soliciting sex from minors at cheerleading competitions and traveling with the intention to engage in illegal sexual conduct.

A former cheerleader on the Navarro College cheerleading squad, whom a team member sexually assaulted during her first semester, also accused Monica of discouraging her from reporting a sexual assault in a civil lawsuit filed in April 2023 in a Dallas federal court, according to CNN. 

In a statement to Entertainment Weekly at the time, Aldama said that she was “heartbroken by the false allegations made against me.”

“As the Navarro Cheer coach, the health and safety of the students I coach is my main concern,” she said. “I have worked year after year to make sure Navarro Cheer is a safe space for all cheerleaders. We do not condone or cover-up reports of sexual harassment and assault. As an athletics coach and Navarro College employee, I take all Title IX matters very seriously, especially reports of sexual misconduct. I am a rules follower. I always follow all appropriate procedures regarding reporting and responding to any allegations of misconduct in the Navarro Cheer program.”

According to the New York Times, Aldama was dismissed as a defendant in the lawsuit in May 2023

According to People, Aldama posted on Instagram in November 2023 to share that an investigation by USA Cheer into the allegations in the lawsuit had cleared her of wrongdoing.