Minnesota Coach Targeted 19 Girls, Gets 33 Years In Prison: Feds

MINNEAPOLIS — For nearly a decade, Dorian Christopher Barrs used his role as a trusted volleyball coach to sexually exploit girls as young as 14. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 33 years in federal prison.

Barrs, 33, was convicted of producing child pornography after federal investigators uncovered a sweeping scheme that targeted at least 19 minors, 14 of whom he personally coached.

"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," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

Thompson noted that this case "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."

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The case began in 2024, when one victim told her parents and contacted law enforcement. That first disclosure led to more survivors coming forward and ultimately helped law enforcement build a full picture of Barrs' years-long abuse.

Barrs coached volleyball at Maple Grove High School and with club programs. He also offered private lessons. Prosecutors say he used social media to manipulate and groom victims, often by "catfishing" them, impersonating a teenage boy to build trust and wear down their defenses.

He sent hundreds of messages to his victims, quickly steering conversations into sexual territory.

According to investigators, Barrs’s motives were clear: his sexual gratification through both explicit images and sexual acts.

"Barrs was a master manipulator," federal prosecutors said. "His scheme was simple and horrible. His abuse was disturbingly effective."

Authorities identified at least 19 victims. Many were girls who viewed him as a mentor and coach.

U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel handed down a 400-month sentence, 33 years and 4 months, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

"This case represents every parent’s nightmare," Judge Brasel said during sentencing. "The defendant abused a position of trust for both the victims and their families."

"Sometimes sports are the only lifeline for a child with a bad situation at home, which is ironic because the defendant knows how important sports were in his own life," she added. "So it’s even more unfathomable what he did in this case."

FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. said the lengthy sentence sends a message.

"Dorian Barrs, a youth volleyball coach, egregiously abused his position of trust for over a decade, coercing vulnerable young girls into sexual activities," he said. "The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting children within our communities."

The investigation was led by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.