MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Federal prosecutors announced the sentencing of a former volleyball coach who admitted to assaulting multiple underage victims while he was their coach.
Dorian Christopher Barrs, 33, of Minnetonka, was sentenced in federal court to 400 months in prison for the production of child pornography that involved at least 19 different minor victims, some as young as 14 years old.
READ MORE: Volleyball coach pleads guilty to child porn, assault of victims
Coach sentenced for child porn
Big picture view:
Prosecutors determined that Barrs, who coached volleyball for Maple Grove High School, as well as other volleyball programs, "used social media to groom, sexually exploit, and abuse young, impressionable, and vulnerable girls for his sexual gratification." He also coached players during private lessons.
Court documents show that Barrs used his role as a volleyball coach to prey on and sexually abuse players for nearly a decade.
Barrs also used another minor's identity to "catfish" his victims on social media and steer conversations to sexualized topics, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal authorities describe Barrs as a "master manipulator" who built relationships with minor victims to get sexually explicit images from them. He also engaged in sexual acts with at least five of the minor victims, according to court documents.
Investigators have identified 19 minors so far who were victimized by Barr, with 14 of them being coached by him at the time.
READ MORE: Minnesota volleyball coach federally indicted on child sex crimes
Volleyball coach conviction
What they're saying:
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson shared the following statement after the sentencing:
"Barrs didn’t just break the law—he shattered the trust placed in him by parents, schools, and the girls he coached and was supposed to protect. This was a deliberated and calculated abuse of power. And it is part of a broader crisis we are facing in Minnesota. Coaches, state troopers, daycare workers, federal agents, and state senators—case after case of people who hold positions of trust and authority preying on children. It is the ultimate betrayal of power and it demands the full force of federal prosecution. To be clear, while I am tired of seeing these cases, this office will not slow down. If you hold a position of trust or authority and harm a child: we will find you, we will expose you, and you will see federal justice."
FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. said the prison sentence will be an example to anyone else who intends to use an authoritative position to take advantage of children.
"The 33-year prison sentence in this case serves as a stern warning to those who prey upon and sexually exploit children for their own gratification. Dorian Barrs, a youth volleyball coach, egregiously abused his position of trust for over a decade, coercing vulnerable young girls into sexual activities. The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting children within our communities. We take great pride in our collaborative efforts with local authorities throughout this investigation."
The Source: This story uses information shared in a U.S. Department of Justice news release and past FOX 9 reporting.