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Drechsel, 35, who was crowned Total Champion of NBC's "American Ninja Warrior" in 2019, was sentenced last week in Camden Federal Court to 121 months in prison — just more than 10 years — for the charges stemming from child sex crimes that U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said involved a teen victim from New Jersey.
"The Real Life Ninja" told investigators he met the victim in 2014, when they were 14 years old through the parkour community as an “American Ninja Warrior."
Drechsel had moved to Hamden, CT the year he'd met his victim, but left for Florida in 2019 — the same year that investigators searched his phones and found images of child sexual abuse, including photos and videos of the victim when the victim was 14 and 15 years old, Sellinger said.
Drechsel was arrested at his home in Florida, as reported by Daily Voice in 2020, and later admitted to texting the victim and discussing his plans to engage in sexual activity with the victim.
At Drechsel's urging, the victim traveled across state lines in July 2015 so that the then 20-something-year-old could have sexual relations with the victim, approximately 10 years his junior.
In addition to the prison term, Chief U.S. District Judge Renée M. Bumb sentenced Drechsel to 15 years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $100,000 in restitution to the victim.
World Ninja League issued a statement following Drechsel's arrest, saying the organization had cut ties with him. WNL also vowed to strengthen its "policies and procedures in order to protect the youth in the sport and provide a safe environment for all athletes and spectators."
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