Vietnam: Comedian Minh Beo gets away with 18-month jail for sex with minor on audition ruse

Beo, whose real name is Minh Quang Hong, was arrested on 24 March after he was charged with three different offences

Picture for representation
Picture for representation Reuters

Vietnamese comedian Minh Beo has been sent to jail for 18 months after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy during his trip to California.

Beo, whose real name is Minh Quang Hong, was arrested on 24 March after he was charged with three different offences - carrying out oral sex with a minor, attempting to engage in sexual act with a 14-year-old child and meeting a minor with wrong intentions.

The Indian Express reported that the Orange County prosecutors said the 38-year-old comedian should also get registered as a habitual sexual offender.

Police got a tip-off about Beo's indecent acts after he tried to molest a police officer posing as a minor boy, following which he was detained at Garden Grove police headquarters for further questioning.

Also read: Singapore man jailed for a year for sexually abusing minor girl

During the trial, the court learnt that the comedian announced, when he went to Orange Country, California, that he will be hosting auditions for a video project. The boy, whom he forced into oral sex, was one of the participants who came for the audition on 23 March. The victim later reported the incident with the Garden Grove police following which an investigation was launched.

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