Former Division I college basketball coach Kevin Mays stands accused of working as a pimp and drug dealer, according to documents obtained by Us Weekly. ESPN first reported the scandal on Thursday, March 5.
Mays, 33, was a temporary assistant men’s basketball coach at Cal State Bakersfield, where he also played from 2014 to 2016.
The coach was arrested and charged with 11 criminal and misdemeanor charges in September 2025. That includes charges for pimping, possession of automatic firearms, possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to sell and child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The saga began in August when then-head coach Rod Barnes received an anonymous email from a tipster who alleged that Mays had trafficked her for “several months,” according to ESPN.
“FIX IT OR THE WHOLE STAFF WILL FALL,” the email read. The tipster added that it was their “first warning and a final warning.”
“HE IS TRAFFICKING A GIRL BY THE NAME OF [redacted],” the email continued. “HE HAS BEEN TRAFFICKING THIS GIRL SINCE MAY.”
The email listed Las Vegas, Oregon, Washington and California as the locations where Mays operated.
Barnes, 60, forwarded the email to CSUB’s human resources office, which then forwarded it to police. In September, Sacramento police ran a sting operation by scheduling a date with an alleged victim in a hotel room. After the operation, the alleged victim identified Mays as her boyfriend.
Mays, who was hired in June 2025 on a $3,000 per-month stipend, was arrested the next day and subsequently fired from CSUB.
Police searched Mays’ car and found multiple firearms and a stash of drugs. A search of his phone uncovered more than 600 photos of children, some as young as 4.
Days after Mays’ arrest, CSUB fired Barnes and athletic director Kyle Conder. It is unclear if their dismissals are related to the scandal. Conder has since sued the school, claiming he was actually fired in August for alerting university officials of “potential crimes and misconduct” within the athletic department.
CSUB spokesperson Jennifer Self told ESPN that the university “strongly denies the claims” and the school plans to “challenge the legal sufficiency of certain aspects of Conder’s complaint.”
Self also said that Mays’ arrest prompted the university to take a “broader look at (its) athletic program.”
Mays’ legal representation declined to comment to ESPN. Sally Selby, the public affairs and communications manager for the Bakersfield Police Department, told the outlet that follow-up interviews related to the case are ongoing “to determine if there are other victims or applicable charges.”
Mays is being held without bond as he awaits trial. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 13.
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