Gary Coe, the media darling who found fame during the Oscar Awards, is a registered sex offender.
Coe was among a group of tourists on a sightseeing bus that was detoured into the lobby of the Dolby Theater by Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel.
The tourist from Chicago walked onstage carrying his fiancée’s purse, endearing himself to liberals everywhere.
While social media fawned over their new star, others did some checking into his background.
It turns out Coe served 20 years in prison for a multitude of violent felonies.
Coe told ABC7 Chicago he was released from prison just 3 days before the Oscars telecast.
Blogs and media outlets ran photos of Coe kissing the hands of female celebrities such as Octavia Spencer, Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman.
The NY Daily News writes, “Gary from Chicago’s feel-good story turned to feel-gross Tuesday when it emerged that the Oscars darling is a registered sex offender.”
Coe’s lawyer, Karen Nash, explained why her client is required to register as a sex offender.
“He does not have a rape conviction. He served 20 years for petty theft,” Nash wrote on Facebook. “He has a prior from 1975 for attempted rape when he was a teenager.”
Nash said Coe ran afoul of California’s three strikes law by stealing a bottle of perfume.
“Many great lawyers had clients get draconian sentences like that in the 90s,” wrote Nash. “There was little one could do during the 3 strikes era.”
Coe and the other tourists were set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, but in light of the circumstances, the segment was scrapped.
