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A former Bakersfield college basketball coach is headed to prison after admitting to possessing child sex abuse material while running a prostitution operation that spanned three states.
Kevin Mays, a former assistant coach at Cal State University Bakersfield and one-time player for the program, was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender for life, the Kern County District Attorney’s Office said.
Earlier this month, Mays pleaded no contest to felony charges of possession of child or youth pornography, pimping and possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm.
The plea deal dramatically reduced his legal exposure. Mays had originally been charged with nearly a dozen felony and misdemeanor counts before prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges, according to The Bakersfield Californian.
Investigators said Mays directed a 22-year-old prostitute who worked out of hotel rooms in California, Oregon and Las Vegas.
The Kern County District Attorney’s office said the coach lined up her clients, booked her hotel rooms, and used his CSUB account to rent a luxury car for her.
It was an anonymous email to the university in August 2025, accusing the coach of pimping, that led to an investigation, which resulted in Mays being fired and arrested, just months into being hired.
Just two months into his tenure, former CSUB head coach Rod Barnes received an email titled “IMPORTANT MESSAGE 911 911,” ESPN reported earlier this year.
In the crux of the email, Mays was accused of “trafficking a girl since May.”
“FIX IT OR THE WHOLE STAFF WILL FALL,” the email read.
Barnes sent the email to CSUB’s human resources office. It was eventually forwarded to university police, leading to the investigation.
Police found the victim through a sex advertisement posted in Sacramento and ran a sting operation in September disguised as a “date.” The woman said Mays was her “boyfriend,” and he often covered the costs of hotels, rental cars and flights for her work.
Mays was arrested the next day after police served search warrants on his car and his place, KBAK reported.
Police searched his car and found multiple firearms and a large stash of drugs. They looked through his phone, finding around 600 photos of children as young as 4.
The ordeal resulted in Mays’ charge, which included felonies such as pimping and charges for possession of automatic firearms, possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to sell and child pornography.
Mays’ defense attorney, David Torres, told the Bakersfield Californian his client was “truly remorseful.”
“Mr. Mays is relieved that all of this is behind him,” Torres said in a text message.
“He is hopeful that the CSUB basketball program will get back on course and is truly remorseful for the stress his conduct placed upon the university and the community as a whole.”
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