Andrew Drechsel, a personal trainer who won season 11 of the NBC competition game show “American Ninja Warrior,” has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex crimes involving a minor.
The 35-year-old was sentenced on June 26 in a Camden, New Jersey, federal court, according to a press release issued by the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The sentencing comes after Mr. Drechsel pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023, to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of “knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing a minor to travel interstate to engage in sexual activity,” the release states.
Upon serving his 121-month prison sentence, Mr. Drechsel must also complete 15 years of supervised release and pay $100,000 in restitution to the victim.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Mr. Drechsel’s legal representative for comment.
Child Sex Crimes
According to the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office, the crimes occurred while Mr. Drechsel, a resident of Saint Cloud, Florida, was living in Hamden, Connecticut, where he had resided since 2014.
On Nov. 8, 2019, law enforcement officials searched the former television personality’s phones, finding evidence of child sexual abuse, including photos and videos taken of the minor in question—who lived in New Jersey at the time—when she was 14 and 15 years old.
Mr. Drechsel told officials that he met the female minor in 2014 “through his activities in the parkour community as an ‘American Ninja Warrior,'” according to the release. He also admitted to exchanging text messages with the girl, in which he shared his intentions of engaging in sexual activity with her.
Mr. Drechsel was subsequently arrested at his home on Aug. 4, 2020, and charged with “seeking sex with a minor and inducing her to send him sexual explicit images,” the attorney’s office said in a press release at the time.
According to the complaint, Mr. Drechsel “engaged in online sexual communications with a minor and induced her to manufacture sexually explicit images of herself,” which she sent to Mr. Drechsel.
Mr. Drechsel also traveled to New Jersey “with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct” with the minor. In July 2015, the victim traveled across state lines at Mr. Drechsel’s request, traveling from New Jersey to Connecticut so that the then-26-year-old could engage in sexual relations with her.
On the day of Mr. Drechsel’s arrest, his attorney, Frank J. Riccio II, issued a statement on X, writing: “Mr. Drechsel is presumed innocent of the charges and that presumption will remain throughout the pendency of his case. He intends on entering a ‘not guilty’ plea.”
Mr. Drechsel faced a maximum sentence of life in prison for using interstate commerce to entice a minor, a maximum of 20 years in prison for enticing a minor to travel for illicit sexual conduct, a maximum of 30 years in prison for traveling with the intention of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and a maximum of 30 years in prison for manufacturing child pornography. He also faced a maximum fine of $250,000 for each of his charges.
‘Sever All Ties’
During a Sept. 17, 2019, interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Mr. Drechsel said producers of “American Ninja Warrior” had asked him to try out for the NBC competition series after seeing him compete on the network’s show “Parkour Freerunning.”
After winning season 11 of “American Ninja Warrior,” the finale of which aired on Sept. 16 of that year, Mr. Drechsel was awarded a $1 million prize. However, he told Ms. DeGeneres he was still waiting to receive his check.
“I think after the episode actually airs, they have up to 90 days for me to get the check,” he said.
“Everyone says, ‘A million dollars and congratulations, what are you gonna do with it,’ which is super exciting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of money,” he continued. “But first of all, $400,000 is going to Uncle Sam. And I think a lot of people forget that.”
“That’s fantastic,” Ms. DeGeneres said before surprising him with the check. “You don’t have to wait that much longer because we have the check for you right here.”
Prior to Mr. Drechsel’s most recent appearance on “American Ninja Warrior,” which sees men and women compete to finish a set of difficult obstacle courses in the shortest duration of time, he also appeared on several of the show’s other seasons, including season 8 and season 10, per Ninja Guide.
However, on Aug. 5, 2020, the day after Mr. Drechsel’s arrest, NBCUniversal issued a statement, noting that the network was “shocked and disturbed to learn about the charges alleged against Drew Drechsel,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
“‘American Ninja Warrior’ is a family show that has inspired countless people, and we will not let the actions of one contestant tarnish the hard work and amazing stories of so many,” the statement reads. “Moving forward, the ‘American Ninja Warrior’ brand will sever all ties with Mr. Drechsel, including his appearance on future seasons of the show.”
From The Epoch Times