Minnesota Volleyball Coach Gets 33 Years for Sexually Exploiting Teen Players

Jul 23

A former volleyball coach was sentenced Tuesday to 33 years in federal prison for using his role to sexually exploit more than a dozen underage girls over nearly a decade.

Dorian Christopher Barrs, 33, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and was sentenced to 400 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, who called the case “every parent’s nightmare.”

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In addition to prison time, Barrs will remain under lifetime supervised release.

According to federal prosecutors, Barrs spent years manipulating girls he coached at Maple Grove High School and area club volleyball programs, exploiting them through social media and in person. Investigators identified 19 girls he targeted, 14 of whom were current or former players he coached. Several were just 14 years old when the abuse began.

Barrs frequently used private lessons to gain access to victims and used fake online identities to trick them into sharing sexually explicit material. He steered conversations toward sexual topics and eventually engaged in illegal conduct, including the production of child sexual abuse material and sexual acts with at least five minors.

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“This was a deliberated and calculated abuse of power,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said. “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.”

Judge Brasel said Barrs’s actions were especially egregious given the vulnerability of the children and the trust placed in him by families and schools. She noted that sports often serve as a support system for kids facing difficult home lives, and said Barrs exploited that dynamic for his own gratification.

FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin Winston called Barrs’s conduct “egregious” and praised the collaboration between the FBI and local authorities. “The 33-year prison sentence in this case serves as a stern warning to those who prey upon and sexually exploit children,” Winston said. “The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting children within our communities.”

Barrs’s crimes began to unravel in 2024 after one victim disclosed the abuse to her parents and then reported it to law enforcement. As investigators learned more, additional victims came forward. Prosecutors said those disclosures were critical in uncovering the full scope of the abuse and holding Barrs accountable.

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