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Abusive ‘momager’ forced adopted kids to perform on popular YouTube channel: cops
A suburban Arizona mom with seven adopted kids portrayed a loving home life on the popular YouTube channel “Fantastic Adventures” — but behind the scenes, she was an abusive “momager” who forced the kids to perform and tortured them if they messed up on camera, police said.
Machelle Hackney, 48, of Maricopa, along with her two adult sons, is accused of abusing her adopted children, who are all under the age of 10.
The shocking allegations of abuse include pepper-spraying their genitals, withholding food and water, locking them in a closet, restricting their bathroom use for days at a time and holding their heads underwater, according to police.
Hackney — who goes by her maiden name, Hobson — was booked for two counts of molestation of a child, seven counts of child abuse, five counts of unlawful imprisonment and five counts of child neglect. Her adult sons, Ryan and Logan Hackney, face seven counts of failing to report abuse of a minor, AZ Central reported. They were arraigned Tuesday and are being held without bond.
“I either get beat with a hanger or belt, or a brush, or get pepper-sprayed from head to toe,” one of the children told police, according to the Daily Beast.
During questioning, the children chugged water and one child refused to eat potato chips because he feared Hackney would “smell them” on his breath, the report said.
The alleged abuse is starkly at odds with the picture of a happy home that played out on the “Fantastic Adventures” YouTube channel, where the kids appeared in a series of fun-filled fantasies.
“We’re Fantastic Adventures, we’re a family that’s full of unique and special kids!” reads the channel’s description. “We started making these videos for fun, but fell in love with making them and now do it every week for you guys!”
Police say an adult woman claiming to be Hackney’s biological daughter tipped them off to the alleged abuse, ABC Action News reported.
Cops said when they arrived at Hackney’s home for a welfare check last week, they found a child in a closet with a pull-up diaper. Six of the children appeared to be malnourished and underweight, AP reported.
Hackney told police that “the only forms of punishment she uses is having to stand in the corner, getting spankings and being grounded,” according to the police report obtained by ABC Action News.
YouTube said it “demonetized” the channel — meaning Hackney will no longer get a cut of the ad revenue. The company said it could take further action, including removing the channel, which has nearly 800,000 subscribers and videos with millions of views.
“We take safety on YouTube very seriously,” YouTube said in a statement to AZ Central. “We work closely with leading child-safety organizations and others in our industry to protect young people. When we’re made aware of serious allegations of this nature we take action, which may include suspending monetization, or, upon conclusion of an investigation, terminating channels.”
Hackney’s adult daughter appeared on the show as the “pretend mom.” She does not face any charges.
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