Paul Michael Barbour, the Long Beach resident and children’s dance contest emcee charged with child pornography possession in August, was sentenced yesterday to eight years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. 

He was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson to register as a sex offender for life, get psychological counseling and to have no contact with minors or work in a business involves children.

UPDATE: Long Beach Man Accused of Child Pornography Possession Pleads Guilty

August 6, 10:45AM | Paul Michael Barbour, the Long Beach resident and children’s dance contest emcee charged with child pornography possession, pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court.

Barbour, 33, is scheduled to be sentenced October 20 and faces a federal prison term of five to 20 years, a $250,000 fine and a possible lifetime of supervised release, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Shay.

Tuesday’s trial lasted about 35 minutes, Shay said, and Barbour pleaded guilty. The court questioned him about his plea agreement, making sure he understood his rights.

“The court does a very thorough change of plea to make sure the defendant understands his rights,” Shay said.

Under the terms of Barbour’s change of plea filed July 25, he also must register as a sex offender, undergo psychological counseling, not be around children and not possess any pornographic materials.

Long Beach Man Accused of Child Pornography Possession Expected to Plead Guilty Today

August 5, 11:44AM | A Long Beach man who worked as an emcee for children’s dance contests across the country is scheduled to plead guilty this afternoon to a federal child pornography possession charge after the case was moved from the county level.

Paul Michael Barbour, 33, of Long Beach was arrested in Orange County on May 31 after police discovered video recording equipment in the dressing room for teenage girls competing in a dance competition in Cypress, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA).

The video was found by a mother of one of the teenage girls, who then called the Cypress Police Department, which investigated the case.

Barbour was accused on June 1 of possessing more than 1,000 images of child pornography, both pictures and videos, on his home computer, according to the OCDA.

Barbour was also found to be in the possession of 22 pounds of illegal drugs, including psilocybin mushrooms, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and dimethyltryptamine (DMT). He had also been cultivating the drugs inside his home, according to the OCDA.

The OCDA charged Barbour with one felony count each of possession and control of child pornography, possession for sale of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, cultivating spores with the intent to produce a controlled substance, one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and a sentencing enhancement allegation for possessing more than 600 child pornography images with more than 10 images of a minor under the age of 12.

The federal government then took over the case on June 26, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the OCDA agreed to dismiss the existing state charges to allow for and expedite the federal prosecution.

If Barbour would have been charged at county level, he would have faced a maximum of seven years in state prison, but under federal law, he could face 10 years.

According to 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, will register as a sex offender, undergo psychological counseling and have no contact with children.

“This case represents another stellar example of how federal and local authorities are using their respective authorities and expertise strategically to target those involved in the online sexual exploitation of innocent children,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles, in a statement. “Every time a sexually explicit image of a child is downloaded, that victim is violated yet again.”

Barbour is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court around 2PM today and is expected to plead guilty. We will update the story as more details become available.

The investigation is ongoing. Investigators urge anyone who may have information relevant to this case to call the Cypress Police Department at 714-229-3391 or contact the task force at [email protected].