1 Year Sentence for Talent Manager Accused of Underage Sex

Santa Monica resident Martin Weiss, a manager who represented child entertainers, was sentenced Friday to one year in county jail after pleading no contest to two counts of a lewd act with a minor under 14.

shortly after an 18-year-old man who was a prior client of Weiss' came forward with allegations that Weiss had repeatedly molested him when he was 11 years old. The acts reportedly occurred over a three-year period between 2005 and 2008 at Weiss' Santa Monica home.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Leslie Dunn immediately sentenced Weiss Friday after he entered his plea. Dunn also ordered him to serve five years formal probation and to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He must also complete a sex offender program and is barred from being alone with anyone under 18, according to Shiara Davila-Morales of the District Attorney's Office.

A half-dozen other counts were dismissed as a result of the plea. Had Weiss been convicted on all charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 34 years in state prison.

Weiss, a self-employed talent agent specializing in child actors, had been operating his business out of his home in Santa Monica for the past 14 years, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Prior to his talent agency business, Weiss earned a living renting himself out as a costumed character for children's parties with costumes ranging from cartoon characters to the Easter Bunny.

— City News Service contributed to this report.

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