Weiss, 47, faced eight felony counts for molesting one of his former clients, an aspiring teenage singer and musician. The unidentified boy told police in November that he was sexually assaulted by Weiss 30 to 40 times over a three-year period, beginning when he was 11 or 12 years old. Police suspected that other children may have been victimized, as well.
Weiss pleaded "no contest" and was sentenced to one year in county jail and five years of probation by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Leslie Dunn. But he was eligible for immediate release on June 1 for good behavior and time served, because he has been in custody for six months awaiting trial since his arrest late last year.
Weiss was required to report to a probation office within 48 hours of his release. He has been ordered to enter a sex offender program and to register as a sex offender, and is barred from any contact with the victim. He is not allowed in the presence of any child under the age of 18 unless there is another adult present.
Weiss dissolved his company, Martin Weiss Management, shortly after his arrest in November. According to an affidavit included in the original arrest warrant, "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."
To prevent convicted sex offenders like Weiss from ever working with child performers, a new bill has been proposed that would require agents, managers, photographers, and other entertainment industry professionals who have unsupervised access to child performers to submit to criminal background checks. Under the proposed legislation, no person who is identified as a sex offender would be permitted to represent artists who are minors. According to the L.A. Times, the bill passed the California State Assembly on Wednesday, May 30, with a unanimous vote of 78-0 and will now move to the Senate.
Supporters of the bill include the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Association of Talent Agents (ATA), and BizParents Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group.
