Joe Francis & "Girls Gone Wild" fined for using underage girls

[Laurent]

Big fine for underage 'Girls Gone Wild'
By MELISSA NELSON, Associated Press Writer

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - The "Girls Gone Wild" video empire agreed to pay $1.6 million and its founder was sentenced to community service Wednesday for filming drunken, underage girls in the raunchy videos.

Mantra Films Inc. pleaded guilty in a case that stemmed from its use of two 17-year-olds in its DVDs and videos, which feature young women baring their breasts in public. The videos at issue were filmed on Panama City Beach during spring break in 2003.

U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak ordered Mantra's multimillionaire founder, Joe Francis, to read aloud in court a victim impact statement from one of the women, who said she was emotionally tormented by her appearance on a "Girls Gone Wild" video and that the video damaged her relationship with her family.

Smoak told Francis he added the community service because it did not appear a fine would be a meaningful punishment.

The fine represents less than 3 percent of Mantra's profits since 2002 and only 12 percent of Mantra's 2005 profits, Smoak said.

"It does not take a very brave man to go out and corner a girl in the middle of spring break who had four drinks," Smoak told Francis.

Francis, 33, said his policy has always been not to film girls under 18 and that the two filmed in Panama City lied about their ages. He later left court without speaking to reporters.

According to court papers, Mantra Films, based in Santa Monica, Calif., admitted violating record-keeping and labeling laws while distributing videos during all of 2002 and part of 2003.

The judge ordered Francis, his company president, general counsel and chief financial officer to each perform eight hours of community service monthly for the next 30 months. But Smoak said the corporate officers could avoid the obligation, giving Francis the option of "stepping up" and serving 16 hours a month of community service by himself in their place.

Attorney Aaron Dyer, representing Francis and the company, said he did not know if Francis would take on the entire sentence himself.

Smoak ordered the company to issue a press release about its federal offenses and to publish the release in the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and The News Herald of Panama City.

Francis also faces a Jan. 22 sentencing hearing in federal court in Los Angeles on similar charges in which he has agreed to pay $500,000 in fines.

Also pending against Francis are state felony charges in which he is accused of using children in sexual performances. Those counts stem from the same 2003 filming at the heart of Wednesday's pleas.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061213/...irls_gone_wild

[bite me spidey]

F^ckin moron.

[Zee]

Somebody needs to get him with the pink dildo for Boys Gone Wild.

[LynnieD]

I.AM.SHOCKED. *rolls eyes*

[mintjelly]

What a scumbag. Can't stand this guy or the premise of his videos.

[DevilDoll2025]

U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak ordered Mantra's multimillionaire founder, Joe Francis, to read aloud in court a victim impact statement from one of the women, who said she was emotionally tormented by her appearance on a "Girls Gone Wild" video and that the video damaged her relationship with her family.

she shouldn't have been drunk or showing the world her boobies if she didn't want this to happen.

[dragonlady]

My dad used to do a lot of drinking when he was in the military, and so did his crowd. He always says that most people just use alcohol as an excuse to do things they want to do but are too scared to do when they're sober. They usually know exactly what they're doing but chalk it to "oh I was drunk, it wasn't my fault." Sounds like some of these chicks are just trying to save face now. Of course, Joe Francis is a huge pile of dog turd for even doing those videos, no doubt. But I don't buy this "victim" crap from these chicks.

[sprynkles]

He's a scumbag, he should have been put behind bars at least for awhile. Of course he'd prolly be a big hero in the joint. He is a criminal! Grrrrr.

[courtneyblair]

Apparently California has a strict "age of consent" policy.
I hope the 'children' were cited with MIPs.