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Actor Paul Reubens Pleads Guilty

LOS ANGELES -- Actor Paul Reubens, the famed television actor who invented the character Pee-Wee Herman, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possessing obscene material with intent to distribute.

Reubens agreed to the plea in exchange for having a child pornography charge dismissed.

He has been sentenced to three years of informal probation and will pay a $100 fine. As part of the terms of the probation, Reubens cannot be around children, and he will be required to register as an official sex offender.

"Once again this demonstrates that pedophiles and collectors of child pornography come from all walks of life and it's important that these people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law so our children are protected," Joan Irvine, executive director for Adult Sites Against Child Pornography (ASACP), told XBiz.

Reubens reportedly plans to appeal the case. At the time of his arrest in November 2002, Reubens claimed that the pictures in his possession were part of his personal "art collection."

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