Tue Jan 23, 8:24 AM
LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters Life!) - The founder of "Girls Gone Wild" videos featuring young women who take off their tops was fined $500,000 on Monday for violating rules designed to prevent exploitation of minors.
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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.
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."
LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters Life!) - The founder of "Girls Gone Wild" videos featuring young women who take off their tops was fined $500,000 on Monday for violating rules designed to prevent exploitation of minors.
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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.
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."
