Imprisoned Artist Ordered To Pay Sexual Abuse Victim $5.4M

PASADENA (AP) — A judge has ordered an imprisoned California artist to pay $5.4 million to a girl he sexually
molested and photographed nude.

The artist, whose legal name is Awest but who is also known as Andrew West Reid Jr., is serving an eight-year federal prison sentence for molesting the then-6-year-old girl and possession child pornography.

The Los Angeles Times says a Pasadena judge on Monday awarded $5.4 million to the girl, who is now 11 and testified during the half-day civil trial. Awest acted as his own attorney and appeared by way of telephone during several hearings.

Prosecutors say Awest, who worked in the record industry and in production design and art direction for children's TV programming, became friends with the girl's family through his own daughter, who was about the same age.

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