Dorian Barrs
MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO) – Dorian Christopher Barrs, 33, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for production of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson.
“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 protect,” said Thompson.
“This was a deliberated and calculated abuse of power. And it 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. It is the ultimate betrayal of power and it demands the full force of federal prosecution. To be clear, while I am tired of seeing these cases, this office will not slow down. If you hold a position of trust or authority and harm a child: we will find you, we will expose you, and you will see federal justice,” said Thompson.
Court documents say for nearly a decade, Barrs used his position as a volleyball coach to prey on and sexually abuse his players and other victims, as young as 14-years-old.
Barrs coached volleyball for Maple Grove High School and club volleyball programs and also coached players in private lessons. Barrs used social media to groom, sexually exploit, and abuse young, impressionable, and vulnerable girls for his sexual gratification, according to Thompson.
Often, Thompson said Barrs used another minor’s identity to “catfish” his unsuspecting victims, wearing them down or removing their defenses. He said Barrs sent hundreds of messages to his victims, frequently steering conversations to sexualized topics in a short amount of time. Barrs was a master manipulator said Thompson. To date, the government has identified at least 19 minors who Barrs victimized in his scheme, 14 of whom were being coached by Barrs.
U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel said, “This case represents every parent’s nightmare.” She noted that “The defendant abused a position of trust for both the victims and their families.” Judge Brasel explained, “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, so it’s even more unfathomable what he did in this case.”
In 2024, one victim told her parents what was happening and then contacted law enforcement. More victims then came forward, which allowed law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to piece together the scope of the abuse.
The case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Carver County’s Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
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