The former LA Deputy City Attorney who prosecuted dozens of casting directors in a sweep of bogus actors’ workshops said tonight that industry professionals who violate an oft-ignored law to protect child actors from registered sex offenders could soon be the subjects of a similar undercover operation and prosecution.
The Child Performer Protection Act, which became law nearly six years ago, requires most professionals who work with child actors – including publicists, managers, and acting coaches – to obtain a permit, pass an FBI background check, and register with a California state database to screen out pedophiles.
A Deadline investigation in April, however, found that not a single Hollywood publicist who represents child actors had obtained a permit. Dozens of managers, acting coaches, and photographers who work with child stars had also failed to comply with the law, which is punishable by a year in county jail and a $10,000 fine. And yet, no one has ever been charged with breaking it.
