Vietnamese comedian sentenced to 18 months for child molesting in US
The 38-year-old man, who has also been recorded as a sex offender, is expected to be deported later this month.
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| Defense attorney Mia Yamamoto (L) said Minh Beo (R) will be released on December 19. |
Vietnamese actor and comedian Hong Quang Minh, who goes by the stage name Minh Beo, has been sentenced to 18 months in state prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy in California.
Orange County prosecutors on December 16 said the 38-year-old man must also register as a sex offender for life, according to media reports.
Minh was arrested on March 24 on charges of having oral sex with a 16-year-old boy and attempting to commit a lewd act upon a child under 14 years old.
During a 15-minute trial in August, Minh pleaded guilty to the sexual crimes and was sentenced to 18 months in state prison.
On December 16, the man failed to get a reduced sentence.
California law states that when a person is sentenced to state prison for a crime, he will receive two days of credit for every one day served. As Minh has been detained since late March, he will complete his 18-month sentence at Theo Lacy jail by December 19.
It is likely that he will be deported from the US within 72 hours after being released.
On March 20, Minh reportedly spoke to a group of dancers at a talent show at a radio station in Huntington Beach, telling them he was holding auditions for a project in California.
He was then accused of orally copulating a boy on March 23 when the victim came for an audition, according to prosecutors.
The boy reported the incident to police. The next day, an undercover police officer acting as a 13-year-old boy managed to contact Minh, who was arrested for attempting to set up a meeting with a child under 14 years old with the intent of committing a sexual assault, according to prosecutors.
Minh is a famous comedian in Vietnam. He went to the US on March 18 to perform in California.
