California cheerleading coach convicted of 23 felonies for molesting girls as young as 9

SANTA ANA, Calif. (TCN) — A former cheerleading coach and camp counselor has been convicted of molesting the young girls he taught in Orange County, California, in the early 2000s. He is also facing charges related to molestation and exhibitionism in Florida. 

Erick Joseph Kristianson, 46, was convicted Dec. 15 on 11 felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts upon a minor under age 14 years of age, four felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts upon a child age 14 or 15, six felony counts of sexual penetration by foreign object of a minor under 18, and two felony counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object of a minor under 16, according to a press release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

He was arrested in North Dakota in 2023 on a warrant California and extradited back to face charges. 

Kristianson worked as a cheerleading coach in Orange County from 2002 to 2006, and during that time, he allegedly met and molested eight girls. He also worked as a camp counselor for the YMCA, where he met additional victims, the district attorney’s office said. 

The victims ranged in age from 9 to 16, and he would allegedly bring them to his home on occasion. Two of his victims reportedly left the sport altogether due to the molestation, according to the district attorney’s office.

Many of the California accusers came forward after Kristianson was arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 2022 for allegedly masturbating on camera to images of girls between 11 and 13, and allegedly sexually touching a 13-year-old girl. These children were members of a cheerleading club where he worked, CBS News reports.

CBS also reports that in 2022, Kristianson was arrested in Kansas for allegedly exposing himself to three teenage girls on FaceTime, but he posted bond and was arrested the following year in North Dakota for the allegations in California.

Kristianson is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2026, according to the district attorney’s office. He is facing 165 years to life in prison, in addition to six years and eight months in state prison.

MORE: