Former ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Champion Drew Drechsel Sentenced to 10 Years for Child Sex Crimes
Andrew “Drew” Drechsel, who won American Ninja Warrior, was given a sentence of just over 10 years in jail after being charged with several sex crimes against children.
In August 2020, Drechsel, 35, was arrested at his home in Florida for having a sexual relationship with a teenage girl he met at an event. This was revealed by PEOPLE.
In a press release on June 26, 2024, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey confirmed that Drechsel, who won season 11 of the NBC competition show in 2019, had been given a 121-month prison sentence for receiving child pornography and being offered money to travel for sexual activity.
The infamous TV star from Saint Cloud, Florida, “pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023, before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée M. Bumb to an information charging him with 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 for which the defendant can be charged with a crime,” the Attorney’s Office said in the release.
The sentence was then given on June 26 in Camden federal court by Chief U.S. District Judge Renée M. Bumb.
“In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Drechsel to 15 years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $100,000 in restitution to the victim,” it said.
The lawyer’s office said the ex-TV celebrity lived in Hamden, Connecticut, from 2014 to November 8, 2019, while the woman he slept with, who was “14 and 15 years old” at the time, lived in New Jersey.
One of Drechsel’s phones was searched by police on November 8, 2019, and they found pictures and videos of a child being sexually abused.
“Drechsel admitted that he originally met the victim in 2014 through his activities in the parkour community as an American Ninja Warrior,” the news release said.
“Drechsel admits that he texted the victim and talked about his plans to have sex with her. It was the victim’s choice to cross state lines in July 2015 so that Drechsel could have sexual contact with her, according to the Attorney’s Office.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC said they were “shocked and disturbed” when the charges were brought in 2020. “We will not let the actions of one contestant cloud the hard work and amazing stories of so many,” the statement said at the time. “American Ninja Warrior is a family show that has inspired countless people.”
“From now on, the American Ninja Warrior brand will have no ties with Mr. Drechsel,” NBC said in a statement. “This includes him appearing on future seasons of the show.”