'Girls Gone Wild' Producer Sentenced - UPDATE what the hell?

[sunnysmiles]

By MELISSA NELSON
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Leg ... 150&page=2

PANAMA CITY, Fla. Dec 13, 2006 (AP)— 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.


Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[jo]

He is a rapist and should be in prison.

[CoolAunt]

I agree that the sentence was too light. However, I do like the way that the judge put pressure between Francis and his executive team.

[sunnysmiles]

WHAT THE FUCK?

http://entertainment.sympatico.msn.ca/m ... 94099.armx

Most charges against adult video series Girls Gone Wild producer dropped
January 04, 2007


PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - A judge dropped many felony charges against the producer of the popular adult video series Girls Gone Wilds on Thursday, citing a lack of evidence to support the charges involving the filming of young girls at spring break on a Florida beach.

Only four felony charges and two misdemeanour counts remain in the 2003 case in which Joe Francis, the creator of the soft porn video empire, was charged with more than 40 criminal offences.

Prosecutors dropped much of their case against Francis and his company, Mantra Films, Inc., in early December after Circuit Judge Dedee Costello suppressed hundreds of hours of videotape seized from Francis' condominiums and private jet. Costello said authorities had improperly obtained search warrants.

"We are very pleased that the judge has dismissed the vast majority of the counts," Larry Simpson, a lawyer for Francis, said Thursday.

The remaining felony counts, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, charge Francis with using minors in sexual performances and conspiring to use minors in sexual performances. The two misdemeanour counts allege prostitution.

In her ruling, Costello said she did not dismiss the remaining felony charges because prosecutors have said a photographer and a cameraman might testify at the trial about the filming of the two 17-year-olds.

But Costello gave defence lawyers until Jan. 31 to file additional motions to dismiss the remaining charges.

"We continue to believe the entire case should be dismissed and we will be filing additional motions seeking the dismissal," Simpson said.

Pending in federal court is an appeal of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak who last month ordered Francis and his three top corporate officers to perform community service and ordered the company to pay a US$1.6 million fine for filming the underaged girls.

Mantra Films Inc. pleaded guilty in the federal case. The Santa Monica, Calif., company admitted violating record-keeping and labelling laws while distributing its videos.

[CoolAunt]

What a crock of shit!