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Actors Charged in Child Pornography Investigation
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By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Paul Reubens (news), best known as children's television favorite "Pee-wee Herman," and veteran character actor Jeffrey Jones were charged Friday in related child pornography cases, prosecutors said.
Reuters Photo
AP Photo
Reubens, whose career was nearly derailed in 1991 by a lewd conduct scandal, faces a misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography stemming from a search of his home by police in November 2001, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said.
Jones, an acquaintance of Reubens who played a malevolent Puritan in "The Crucible" and a school principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," was charged with a felony count of using a minor for sex acts and misdemeanor possession of child pornography.
The felony count relates to allegations he hired a 14-year-old boy to pose for sexually explicit photographs between September 2000 and May of last year, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the charges do not involve any sex act being performed or any video or film being taken.
Charges against the performers grew out of searches conducted by police at their homes in related investigations. While prosecutors declined to specify how the two cases were linked, a spokeswoman for Reubens said the probes resulted from accusations made by a teenager against both men.
Reubens' attorney, Blair Berk, said the charge against the comedian were untrue. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and $2,500 fine.
HANDFUL OF IMAGES
At issue in Reubens' case were a "handful of images" from "an extensive collection of vintage physique art photography" seized at his home by police, a spokeswoman for Reubens told Reuters. Berk said Reubens was unaware that the collection contained anything improper.
Jones' attorney, Jeff Brodey, could not immediately be reached for comment, but he was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying the charges against his client involve only pictures, not physical contact. "This is all about photos. There's not allegations of any touching or any improper acts with a minor," Brodey told the Times, adding that Jones "is a very decent guy, and his life shouldn't be ruined."
Jones, 55, surrendered to authorities on Thursday and was released on $20,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and would have to register for life as a sex offender.
The district attorney declined to file any charges against Reubens but his spokeswoman said the City Attorney's Office waited until the last day possible under the statute of limitations to bring its misdemeanor case.
Officials said Reubens allegedly took photographs of the same boy as Jones, but prosecutors declined to bring charges against him because his photos were not found to be sexually explicit.
Reubens, best known for his nerdy, man-child Pee-wee Herman persona, had his career nearly destroyed in 1991 when he was arrested for allegedly masturbating in an adult movie theater. But he gradually has made a comeback with various offbeat character roles for television and film.
1 hour, 51 minutes ago Add Entertainment - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Paul Reubens (news), best known as children's television favorite "Pee-wee Herman," and veteran character actor Jeffrey Jones were charged Friday in related child pornography cases, prosecutors said.
Reuters Photo
AP Photo
Reubens, whose career was nearly derailed in 1991 by a lewd conduct scandal, faces a misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography stemming from a search of his home by police in November 2001, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said.
Jones, an acquaintance of Reubens who played a malevolent Puritan in "The Crucible" and a school principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," was charged with a felony count of using a minor for sex acts and misdemeanor possession of child pornography.
The felony count relates to allegations he hired a 14-year-old boy to pose for sexually explicit photographs between September 2000 and May of last year, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the charges do not involve any sex act being performed or any video or film being taken.
Charges against the performers grew out of searches conducted by police at their homes in related investigations. While prosecutors declined to specify how the two cases were linked, a spokeswoman for Reubens said the probes resulted from accusations made by a teenager against both men.
Reubens' attorney, Blair Berk, said the charge against the comedian were untrue. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and $2,500 fine.
HANDFUL OF IMAGES
At issue in Reubens' case were a "handful of images" from "an extensive collection of vintage physique art photography" seized at his home by police, a spokeswoman for Reubens told Reuters. Berk said Reubens was unaware that the collection contained anything improper.
Jones' attorney, Jeff Brodey, could not immediately be reached for comment, but he was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying the charges against his client involve only pictures, not physical contact. "This is all about photos. There's not allegations of any touching or any improper acts with a minor," Brodey told the Times, adding that Jones "is a very decent guy, and his life shouldn't be ruined."
Jones, 55, surrendered to authorities on Thursday and was released on $20,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and would have to register for life as a sex offender.
The district attorney declined to file any charges against Reubens but his spokeswoman said the City Attorney's Office waited until the last day possible under the statute of limitations to bring its misdemeanor case.
Officials said Reubens allegedly took photographs of the same boy as Jones, but prosecutors declined to bring charges against him because his photos were not found to be sexually explicit.
Reubens, best known for his nerdy, man-child Pee-wee Herman persona, had his career nearly destroyed in 1991 when he was arrested for allegedly masturbating in an adult movie theater. But he gradually has made a comeback with various offbeat character roles for television and film.
