Hollywood Faces a Child-Molestation Crisis in Casting/ Martin Weiss, a longtime manager of young talent, was arrested on suspicion of child molestation

Mon Dec 5, 2011

First, it was the Catholic Church. Then Penn State. Now, a new child-abuse scandal in Hollywood is raising questions over the safety of minors in the entertainment business and sparking calls for new child-labor regulations.

Last week, Martin Weiss, a longtime manager of young talent, was arrested on suspicion of child molestation after an 18-year-old former client told police he had been abused by Weiss 30 to 40 times from 2005 to 2008.



Weiss' arrest came just weeks after it was discovered that a convicted child molester and registered sex offender under the name Jason James Murphy was working in Hollywood and helping cast children for movie roles.

TheWrap contacted a wide array of professionals and found a mix of surprise and those that say that this type of abuse is an ongoing concern, pointing to abuse allegations over the years by actors such as the late Corey Haim (right, in his youth) and Todd Bridges.

One camp maintains that sexual abuse of children is rare in the entertainment industry.

"This is news, which means it doesn't happen all the time," said an agent for a talent agency that specializes in child actors who requested anonymity. "I don't think it's the 50-percent-plus-one norm. I haven't been aware of any other incidents like this."

Others, however -- including child-abuse experts -- said they were not surprised.

"This problem is more pervasive than people want to believe," said Paula Dorn, co-founder of the BizParentz Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the families of children working in the entertainment industry. "We have children trying to interact in an adult world."

Weiss' arrest "was not a shock at all" to lawyer Gloria Allred, who has negotiated settlements involving child abuse in the movie and TV business.

"A lot of people in the entertainment industry -- like a manager or an agent -- people who are not in a position of power look up to them," Allred told TheWrap. "Children are extremely vulnerable, and they can mistake attention for a person who likes them and cares about them. And then the grooming takes place."

A Minor Consideration, a nonprofit that supports former child star, said the situation is "worse today than it was in the '30s, and there was a lot of dirty stuff going on then."

Petersen (left) told TheWrap that his group is pushing for new regulations, including background checks and fingerprinting for talent agents, and a stronger enforcement of the California Talent Agencies Act, which is intended to protect artists from contract exploitation.

"We want to have the same protections internationally for children that are enjoyed by animals in the entertainment industry," he told TheWrap. "When a movie says, 'No animals were harmed during the making of this film,' how can we not have that for kids?"

Petersen's organization has reason to be hopeful.

After "Super 8" producer/director J.J. Abrams was notified about the history of Jason James Murphy -- who cast child actors in the movie -- he informed the film's studio, Paramount Pictures, which in turn took action.

"Moving forward, we are taking the additional step and will also conduct background checks on all freelance employees, full-time and part-time, who work with minors on our productions,” a Paramount spokesperson told TheWrap.

"This is an old problem, but now there's this collective empowerment that victims feel safer to come forward," attorney Jeff Herman, who represents victims of sexual abuse said.

Indeed, child-abuse scandals aren't new to Hollywood. In recent years, several actors have alleged that they were molested or raped as child actors. Corey Feldman, a pal of the late Haim, has also alleged sexual abuse as a child actor.

"There was a circle of older men that surrounded themselves around this group of kids, and they all had their own power or connections to great power in the entertainment industry," Feldman told ABC's "Nightline" in August.

Feldman blamed the sexual malfeasance perpetrated by a Hollywood mogul, whom he did not identify, as the cause behind his friend Haim's death.

"The No. 1 problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia," he added.

There have been other notable instances of sexual abuse of children in Hollywood.

Filmmaker Victor Salva served a 15-month prison term after he admitted to having oral sex with a 12-year-old while he directed the child in his 1989 movie, "Clownhouse."

More recently, in October, "Jon & Kate Plus 8" film editor William Blankinship was charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography.

In the wake of the Penn State scandal, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network has seen a 54 percent increase in reports of sexual assaults through its internet hotline, according to spokeswoman Katherine Hull.

And amid this increase in allegations, the entertainment industry is being identified as particularly susceptible to child abuse. Agents, managers and child-abuse experts tell TheWrap that the parents of young talent often incorrectly assume the industry is a safe environment.

Parents often leave their children unattended during auditions or shoots. Some let their children travel with their manager or agent.

Petersen said some managers who are based outside Hollywood will arrive "with five or six kids in tow," unattended by their parents, during pilot season. The managers will rent hotel rooms or apartments and stay there with their underage clients.

"There are people in Hollywood who tell people that sexual conduct is nobody's business, yet whenever these pedophile stories break, they are strangely silent," he said.

Moreover, there are added pressures on children -- functioning in adult-oriented environments -- to succeed, regardless of the physical or emotional toll.

"If they have a chance to be on a kids' show, they might not disclose [abuse]," said Cherie Benjoseph, co-founder of KidSafe, a nonprofit group that educates children and their parents about abuse. "They also might not for fear of not being believed."

Like religion and athletics, Hollywood has an institutional structure that helps facilitate nefarious behavior such as child abuse by shielding authority figures, experts say.

"People seek out being involved in Hollywood in order to get access to kids," Dorn said.

Child abuse "is a big problem, and it's no different than a 'casting couch' for the adults," he added.

TheWrap made numerous attempts to contact all the major agencies that represent children in Hollywood, but only a few smaller agencies would agree to speak on the record for this story.

"In L.A., so many people will do whatever it takes to get roles," said Cindy Twedt, an agent with San Antonio-based Entourage Model and Talent Agency, which has an office in Los Angeles.

Twedt says Entourage, which is owned by her family, mandates that parents accompany their children to all their auditions and shoots.

Delayne King, owner of the Canoga Park-based Lang Talent Group -- which serves underage clients -- and a former child psychologist, said she will be taking extra steps in the wake of the growing concern over child abuse.

"I'm very protective of my kids, and I'm going to let my talent know to be very cautious," she told TheWrap.

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A Hollywood manager who specializes in representing young actors has been arrested on suspicion of molesting one of his clients, and police suspect there may be other possible victims.

Police arrested Martin Weiss on Tuesday on suspicion of committing lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, said Det. John Alviani, coordinator for the sexual assault unit of the Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga Division.

Detectives executed search warrants in Santa Monica, where the 47-year-old Weiss lives and runs his business, Alviani said. The alleged victim, an aspiring singer and musician formerly represented by Weiss, told police he had been sexually assaulted in Weiss' Santa Monica apartment and in a home in Woodland Hills, according to an affidavit attached to the warrant.

Superior Court Judge Melvin Sandvig set bail at $300,000, Alviani said. As of Wednesday evening, Weiss was being held at Men's Central Jail. He could not be reached for comment.

Police sought triple the standard bail because, Alviani said. "There were multiple counts alleged in the complaint."

According to an affidavit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, an 18-year-old man went to police Nov. 17 to report that Weiss had molested him from the age of 11 or 12. Det. Fernando Avila wrote that the man said he had been forced to have sex with Weiss about 30 to 40 times over a three-year period, until he reached 15 years old.

"The victim said Weiss told him that what they were doing was common practice in the entertainment industry, and if the victim were to tell anyone it would ruin the victim's career and hurt them both," according to the affidavit.

The victim said the abuse stopped when he reached age 15 and severed his business ties with Weiss, according to the affidavit. The teen, fearful that there might be other victims, confronted Weiss in his Santa Monica apartment Nov. 15 and taped their conversation.

According to the affidavit, Weiss acknowledged the sexual contact but denied it was abuse. "Weiss intimated that he targeted the victim because the victim showed interest, and Weiss claimed the Penn State situation was different because 'those kids don't want it.'"

Two days later, the teenager went to police with the recording. He told police other young men had spent the night at Weiss' home, and he was afraid that others had been assaulted, according to the affidavit.

"The victim stated he never reported the crimes to his parents or police because he was afraid he would not be believed, or that it would tear apart or divide his family," according to the document.

Police obtained a warrant Monday to search Weiss' apartment and vehicle. They were looking for child pornography, letters and photographs depicting the now 18-year-old or other potential child victims, according to the warrant application. It is unclear what was obtained in the search.

"Based on the victim's allegations, the suspect had other child clients," Avila wrote. "It leads me to believe there may be others just like the victim, who did not disclose the abuse and are currently unknown to me."

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Martin Weiss, Alleged Child Molester, Was 'A Party Clown'

By Kurt Orzeck at TheWrap
Mon Dec 5, 2011 3:23pm EST

Last week's arrest of Martin Weiss, a longtime manager of young talent, on suspicion of child molestation has led to shock in some quarters of the entertainment industry.

Other insiders aren't as surprised.

Paula Dorn, co-founder of the non-profit child talent support organization BizParentz Foundation, told TheWrap that her group has received "second- or third-hand complaints for many years" about Weiss, but that "we never had any proof about anything actionable."

"It would not surprise me if there were more victims," Dorn added.

"He used to hit on [Corey] Haim all the time," noted Scott Carlson, manager of another former child actor Corey Feldman, who has alleged sexual abuse when he was younger. "Corey [Feldman] and I both knew him."

Weiss pleaded not guilty to eight counts of lewd acts with a child and sodomy after an 18-year-old former client told police he had been abused by him 30 to 40 times from 2005 to 2008.

"Marty Weiss is very well-known within our community, mostly because of his very outgoing personality," Dorn said.

"He was a party clown," added Paul Petersen, a former child actor ("The Donna Reed Show") and founder of A Minor Consideration, a nonprofit that supports former child stars.

Petersen said he was acquainted with Weiss and used to receive Christmas cards from him.

Weiss often blurred the line between professional and personal behavior, according to Dorn.

In addition to the sleepovers, he also took rode trips with his underage clients, who were not accompanied by their parents.

"He would have sleepovers and was always known for being very social with his clients," Dorn said.

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Hollywood Pedophilia: Child Molestation is Widespread in Moviedom

By Roberta Anderson | December 6, 2011 4:57 PM EST

The world of sports is not the only industry rocked by child-sex abuse scandal as of late. News of Tinseltown's sordid behind-the-scenes crimes are coming to light; and individuals in the industry claim that "the casting couch" is a real place where people do "desperate things."

Former child actor Corey Feldman discussed the pervasive problem of child-sex abuse in Hollywood. He himself was a victim.

The past two weeks, three separate cases of child-sex abuse charges in Hollywood have surfaced. According to FOXNews.com, this issue could turn out to be even wider spread than anyone knows.

On Nov. 21, Fernando Rivas, 59, was arraigned on charges of coercing a minor "to engage in sexually explicit conduct" in South Carolina. He was also charged with production and distribution of child pornography. Rivas is an award-winning "Sesame Street" composer, who was trained at Juilliard.

Martin Weiss, 47, was charged in Los Angeles on Dec. 1 for sexually abusing a former client. Weiss is a Hollywood manager who represented children. His accuser was younger than 12-years-old at the time the abuse occurred. The victim said that Weiss told him "what they were doing was common practice in the entertainment industry." Weiss has pleaded not guilty, reports FOXNews.com.

Allegations against registered sex offender and casting agent Jason James Murphy, 35, have surfaced as well. On Nov. 17 The Los Angeles Times revealed that he worked in Hollywood for years, placing young actors in productions like "Bad News Bears" and "The School of Rock," before news broke of his past kidnapping and sexual abuse of a boy.

Former child star Corey Feldman has said that the entertainment industry's "No. 1 problem" is "pedophilia."

"I can tell you that the No. 1 problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia," Feldman, a survivor of child sexual abuse himself, told ABC's "Nightline" in August. "That's the biggest problem for children in this industry... It's the big secret."

"This has been going on for a very long time," concurred former "Little House on the Prairie" star Alison Arngrim. "It was the gossip back in the '80s. People said, 'Oh yeah, the Coreys, everyone's had them.' People talked about it like it was not a big deal."

Arngrim was referring to Corey Feldman and his "Lost Boys" costar Corey Haim.

"I literally heard that they were 'passed around,'" Arngrim said. "The word was that they were given drugs and being used for sex. It was awful - these were kids, they weren't 18 yet. There were all sorts of stories about everyone from their, quote, 'set guardians' on down that these two had been sexually abused and were totally being corrupted in every possible way."

During the show "The Two Coreys," Feldman and Haim discussed the sexual abuse that happened when they were just teenagers working in Hollywood. There was visible tension between the two to this day, after what they both went through. Both claim to have been molested and sexually abused. Both have a history of drug use.

Haim died when he was just 38-years-old. Feldman told "Nightline" that sexual abuse by an unnamed "Hollywood mogul" led to his friend's death. Feldman claims that at the age of 14 he himself was "surrounded" by pedophiles.

"There's more than one person to blame," said Arngrim. "I'm sure that it was not just one person who sexually abused Corey Haim, and I'm sure it wasn't only him and Corey Feldman that knew about it. I'm sure that dozens of people were aware of the situation and chose to not report it."

Arngrim is a board member and national spokeswoman for protect.org, an organization dedicated to protecting children from sexual, physical and emotional abuse. She believes that greed in Hollywood allows this abuse to flourish.

"Nobody wants to stop the gravy train," says Arngrim. "If a child actor is being sexually abused by someone on the show, is the family, agents or managers - the people who are getting money out of this - going to say, 'OK, let's press charges'? No, because it's going to bring the whole show to a grinding halt, and stop all the checks. So, the pressure is there is not to say anything."

Experts say that the environment of a TV or movie set is inviting to predators.

"A set in Hollywood with children can become a place that attracts pedophiles because the children there may be vulnerable and less tended to," explained Beverly Hills-based psychotherapist Dr. Jenn Berman to FOXNews.com.

"One thing we know about actors, psychologically speaking, is that they're people who like a lot of attention. Kids naturally like a lot of attention, and when you put a kid on a set who is unsupervised and getting attention from someone who is powerful, it creates a vulnerability for a very dangerous situation."

Sometimes, individuals are simply desperate to break into the biz.

"It's almost a willing sacrifice that many parents are oblivious to - what kind of environment do they think that they're pushing their kid into?" said Paul Peterson, 66, a star of the "The Donna Reed Show."

"The casting couch is a real thing, and sometimes just getting an appointment makes people do desperate things."

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