‘Girls Gone Wild’ Founder Fined $500,000
The multimillionaire founder of the saucy “Girls Gone Wild” video series was fined $500,000 Monday for violating rules designed to prevent exploitation of minors.
Joe Francis, 33, also was ordered by a federal judge to perform 200 hours of community service, and was placed on two years’ probation as part of a plea agreement he reached with the Justice Department last September.
In pleading guilty to the two felony counts, Francis admitted he knowingly included footage of two females in his “Ultimate Spring Break” video series without having legible documentation of their ages, as required by law.
Prosecutors say the 2002 footage in question showed two under-age girls, both 17 years old, engaging in sexually explicit acts. The popular “Girls Gone Wild” videos, advertised heavily on late-night television, depict young women getting naked and often performing sex acts on each other at spring break and other events.
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Francis’ lawyer, Aaron Dyer, described his client as a “quality individual” who was not involved in the actual filming and had admitted only that he had failed to keep proper records.
But Justice Department prosecutor Brent Ward told the judge that Francis created a culture in his company where women were plied with alcohol and taken to hotel rooms to be filmed “with little or no regard for their age, and without any regard for record-keeping” requirements.
The plea deal settled a similar case brought in Florida, where some of the videos were filmed, against Francis’s California-based company, Mantra Films Inc.
In Florida last month, Mantra was fined $1.6 million, and Francis was ordered with other company employees to perform community service. He is appealing that part of the sentence.
Outside the courthouse on Monday, Francis said he was singled out for prosecution because of the high-profile nature of his “Girls Gone Wild” videos and because the “government needs to make an example.”
Popularity: 12% [?]
- ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Founder Fined $500,000
- Girls Gone Wild Exploiting Minors!
- Joe Francis is a Free Man
- Joe Francis is Such a Standup Man
- Girls Gone Wild Founder Joe Francis Arrested
- Ashley Dupre Sues Joe Francis
- Ashley Dupre (Spitzer Prostitute) Sex Tape Released – Photos & Video
- Another Paris Hilton Sex Tape?
- Girls Gone Wild Magazine
- Vanessa Hudgens Gets $500,000 Offer From Joe Francis
- The Biggest Movie Rip Offs
- Steven Slater In-Flight Meltdown
- Karissa & Kristina Shannon Kiss Each Other – Photo
- Whores On Parade & Links To Hollywood
- Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom To Unveil Unisex Fragrance
- Kelly Brook Playboy Shoot
- Justin Bieber Stops Flying Water Bottle With His Head
- Mia Farrow Disputes ‘Blood Diamond’ Claim
- Rod Stewart and Wife Expecting Another Baby
- Jodie Fisher Implicated In HP CEO Scandal (Photos)
Comments are Closed
The dethroned beauty queen is part of the “Girls Gone Wild” mentality. This guy was no where around when she took the pictures. It’s sad that young white girls are aspiring to do porn and young black girls are aspiring to be video “hos”.