SANTA ANA – A US state senator wants to give judges more power to deny bail after a well-known Vietnamese entertainer was charged with molesting a 14-year-old boy in Orange County.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Senator Janet Nguyen and Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas voiced their concerns that Minh Quang Hong, who goes by the stage name Minh Beo, could flee the country if he is allowed to post bail.

The 38-year-old Vietnamese national, is being held on $1 million bail after being charged in the city of Santa Ana three felony counts.

They include oral copulation of a minor, attempting to commit a lewd act upon a child under the age of 14, and meeting with a minor with the intent to engage in lewd conduct.

Local media reported that Hong claimed he was hosting an audition for a video project in Huntington Beach when the alleged assault happened earlier this month.

If convicted, Hong could face nearly six years in prison and would have to register as a sex offender.

Hong is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Friday, after which he could post bail. Rackauckas said prosecutors will request that the court hold Hong’s passport if he posts bail.

In response to that case, Nguyen announced she would introduce a senate constitutional amendment to allow judges to deny bail if they believe a felony suspect posed a flight risk.

However, Rackauckas said the proposed legislation would not affect Hong’s case.He said the planned amendment would still have to pass both houses of the legislature with a 2/3 vote and would need to go before voters in 2018.

Under current federal law, a suspect can be held without bail if the court believes there is a flight risk. But in California, the court can only deny bail in capital cases. Hong’s case is in state court.

– with other agencies