Man Accused of Videotaping Girls in Cypress College Dressing Room to Plead Guilty

A Long Beach man who emceed children’s dance contests across the country is scheduled to plead guilty tomorrow to a federal child pornography possession charge, court papers show.

Paul Michael Barbour, 33, was charged after the discovery of a digital video camera in a dressing room used by teenage girls participating in a dance contest at Cypress College, according to Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Claude Arnold.

Barbour, who worked for Cypress-based Kids Artistic Review, was originally arrested by Cypress Police Department detectives on June 1 and subsequently charged by federal prosecutors with receipt of child pornography.

According to the terms of a signed plea agreement, filed July 25 in Los Angeles federal court, Barbour will not oppose a term of supervised release ranging from 15 years to life; register as a sex offender possibly for life; participate in psychological counseling which may include residential treatment; and have no contact with minors or work in a business that deals with children.

As part of the initial investigation, a desktop computer from Barbour’s home was seized and found to contain well over 600 images and videos of child pornography, including one depicting an 8- to 10-year-old girl with an adult male, according to federal prosecutors.

There’s no evidence so far to suggest Barbour had produced any of the allegedly obscene material, Arnold said.

His change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Barbour could be sentenced to a federal prison term ranging from five to 10 years, according to the plea agreement.

--City News Service

PHOTO Courtesy of Orange County Sheriff’s Department.