SANTA ANA, Calif. (WKRC) – A former cheerleading coach has been convicted of 23 felonies for molesting ten girls as young as nine years old.
The incidents occurred while Erick Joseph Kristianson, 46, served as a camp counselor and coached at a competitive cheer club and a high school in the early 2000s, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office news release.
Kristianson was convicted on Monday of multiple felony counts, including lewd acts upon minors and sexual penetration by a foreign object. He faces a maximum sentence of 165 years to life in prison, plus six years and eight months in state prison, with sentencing scheduled for March 19, 2026.
Kristianson worked as a coach at Magic All-Stars from 2002 to 2005 and as an assistant coach at Trabuco Hills High School from 2004 to 2006. He is accused of molesting eight young girls during this time. Two additional victims were connected to him through a family member and his employment as a YMCA camp counselor in 1999 and 2000.
The allegations against Kristianson surfaced in 2022 after his arrest in Daytona Beach, Fla., for allegedly masturbating on camera to three children and touching another 13-year-old girl.
Following news reports of his Florida arrest, a young woman reported to authorities that Kristianson molested her when she was 14 years old.
Kristianson is accused of molesting seven other girls he coached between 2002 and 2006, taking them to non-cheer-sanctioned events and his home. Two girls disclosed they left cheerleading due to his repeated abuse but did not report it at the time out of fear and embarrassment.