Judge OKs plea deal for 'Girls Gone Wild' founder

[samanthajane13]

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – 22 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – A judge sentenced "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis on Friday to 301 days already served and a year of probation for filing false income tax returns and bribing Nevada jail workers.

U.S. District Judge S. James Otero accepted the terms of a plea deal between Francis and prosecutors, who struck the agreement after learning on the eve of trial that a key witness had withheld information from them.

An ecstatic Francis politely answered questions during the hearing then turned and kissed his mother after he was sentenced.

"I think we won that one," he said after the hearing.

The soft-porn mogul who filmed and marketed videos of young women was indicted by a federal grand jury on tax evasion charges in 2007. He initially was accused of taking $20 million in fraudulent tax deductions.

Under the deal, Francis pleaded guilty in September to two misdemeanor counts of filing false tax returns and one count of bribing Nevada jail workers in exchange for food.

He acknowledged omitting more than $500,000 in interest income on his 2003 tax returns and said he gave more than $5,000 in goods to the jail employees.

The plea deal also required Francis to pay $250,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

Otero did not restrict travel by Francis but said he must tell authorities if he intended to travel abroad.

Francis vowed to steer clear of trouble and get back to work building the "Girls Gone Wild" brand in the U.S. and abroad.

The tax case against him fizzled when his former accountant Michael Barrett told prosecutors about hundreds of e-mails that Francis is using in a lawsuit against Barrett.

Francis accuses Barrett in the pending litigation of fraudulently billing him for hundreds of thousands of dollars in phony goods and expenses.

Barrett, who had filed tax returns for Francis, had sought a reward from the IRS for pointing out alleged wrongdoing, a move that Otero told prosecutors put his credibility in serious question.

A phone message left for Barrett's attorney was not immediately returned Friday.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091106/...le_joe_francis

[samanthajane13]

Fla. judge wants footage in 'Girls Gone Wild' suit

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – A judge in Florida wants footage to be turned over to the court so he can decide on a motion to dismiss a civil suit against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis.

U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak on Wednesday ordered all relevant videos be handed to him so he can make a final ruling on the motion by Francis' lawyers. Smoak said the motion relies on the plaintiff's actions in the videos.

Four women filed suit last year. They said they were 13 to 17 years old when they were filmed in stages of undress or engaged in sexual activity by Francis' company, which produces the "Girls Gone Wild" video series. The plaintiffs are now adults.

Francis' motion argues the actions on film did not violate Florida law. Trial is scheduled for February.

___

Information from: The News Herald, http://www.newsherald.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091204/...irls_gone_wild

[samanthajane13]

Judge in Reno won't stop 'Girls Gone Wild' trial
By SCOTT SONNER, Associated Press Writer Scott Sonner, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jan 27, 10:11 pm ET

RENO, Nev. – Charges against a former Nevada sheriff's deputy accused of accepting gifts in exchange for giving preferential treatment to the jailed creator of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos won't be dismissed, a federal judge said Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks denied a motion from the lawyer defending former Washoe County jail Sgt. Michon Mills, who served as a liaison between Joe Francis' lawyers and the jail in Reno while he was held on tax charges from June 2007 to March 2008. Francis is the founder of "Girls Gone Wild."

The bribery trial is expected to continue Thursday and into Friday.

A Hollywood associate of Francis has pleaded guilty to a related misdemeanor charge and admitted he provided Mills with a $4,500 Cartier watch and a $5,000 Saks Fifth Avenue gift card.

But the associate, Aaron Weinstein, testified that Mills never considered the gifts a bribe and eventually gave back the unused gift card and unworn watch.

Two other former deputies also have pleaded guilty to accepting a gratuity as a public official, including one who received $3,200 in cash and four tickets to an Oakland Raiders game in exchange for bringing Francis sushi on two occasions.

Francis, whose videos feature women exposing themselves on camera, was sentenced in November to time served and one year of probation related to tax evasion counts and bribing jail workers.

The charge against Mills should be dismissed partly because Weinstein testified that the gift card was a personal birthday present and the watch was a Christmas gift, Leah Wigren, Mills' lawyer, told the judge on Wednesday.

Weinstein said he never indicated Mills was expected to give Francis special privileges. He said Mills was surprised when he gave them to her, and indicated they were not necessary.

"The government has not shown that she as a public official — or in carrying our her public duties — got a gratuity for, or because, of an official act," Wigren said.

Hicks said that would be up to the jury to decide.

Mills, 39, Carson City, had been assigned to be the point of contact with Francis after he was placed in the mental health housing unit of the jail. Prosecutors said that while he was there, Francis was allowed to run his multimillion dollar pornography business that includes selling videos of nude college girls in sexual situations.

Deputy Heather Balaam testified earlier this week that Mills treated Francis better than other inmates. She said Mills also brought Francis magazines, and insisted she be told every time he was disciplined. She also said other inmates in Francis' unit complained that he talked very loud on the phone all day and night.

Other deputies described Francis on Wednesday as "troublesome" and "high maintenance."

Assistant Sheriff Lisa Haney said Francis was held in the special unit where inmates are treated differently in part to keep peace at the jail because "he had money" and "there might have been some inmates who hit him up for money."

Sgt. Ty Lariviere said Mills served as the liaison "due to the high volume of calls and high maintenance of his legal defense team."

"Mr. Francis was extremely manipulative, very demanding. He would not have fit well in the general population housing unit," Lariviere testified Wednesday.

"In addition, being such a high profile inmate, there is greater risk for an inmate on the way to prison to harm Mr. Francis in order to make a name for himself," he said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100128/...ne_wild_bribes

[samanthajane13]

Ex-Nev. deputy acquitted in 'Girls Gone Wild' case
By SCOTT SONNER, Associated Press Writer Scott Sonner, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 29, 9:54 pm ET

RENO, Nev. – A jury acquitted a former Nevada sheriff's deputy of bribery charges Friday after she was accused of accepting nearly $10,000 in gifts in exchange for giving special treatment to the jailed founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" video empire.

Ex-Washoe County Sheriff's Sgt. Michon Mills embraced her attorney and broke into tears as the foreman of the jury read the verdict in U.S. District Court in Reno Friday evening.

The 39-year-old Carson City woman had been accused of accepting a $4,500 Cartier watch and a $5,000 Saks Fifth Avenue gift card from an associate of Joe Francis while he was jailed in Reno on tax charges in 2007 and 2008.

Mills, who said she returned the gifts and never considered them bribes, had no immediate comment. The jury, which deliberated for six hours, acquitted her on two counts of accepting a gratuity as a public official. Mills had faced up to two years in prison.

"I'm just thrilled for Michon that the jury saw things for what they really are," her lawyer, Leah Wigren, told The Associated Press.

Mills testified during the four-day trial that she didn't initially acknowledge accepting the gifts from Francis' Hollywood associate Aaron Weinstein because she didn't want to get lumped in with two other deputies at the jail who were under investigation for aiding Francis.

The two other former deputies have pleaded guilty to accepting a gratuity as a public official. One of them received $3,200 in cash and four Oakland Raiders tickets in exchange for smuggling sushi, barbecued chicken and other food to Francis.

Mills was assigned as the point of contact person for Francis after he was placed in the mental health housing unit of the jail. Prosecutors said he was allowed to run his multimillion dollar soft porn business while he was there.

"Numerous deputies testified they felt there was a 'hands-off policy' when it came to defendant Francis," Assistant U.S. Attorney Sue Fahami told the 10-woman, two-man jury earlier Friday. "He seemed to have the run of the house."

Wigren said in her closing arguments that the government failed to prove her client did anything to benefit Francis based on the gifts.

"There is no nexus between an official act and the gift," Wigren said.

Mills was given the "unprecedented" assignment to deal directly with Francis and his lawyers because he was internationally known — "a high profile inmate the likes of which they'd never seen before," Wigren said.

By all accounts, Francis was "very needy ... an obnoxious individual ... a 35-year-old multimillionaire with serious behavior problems," Wigren said.

"But it seems from this testimony she's to blame because inmate Francis was a vulgar person," she said.

Mills already has suffered enough by losing her job, the lawyer said.

"Her law enforcement career was destroyed," Wigren said. "She was at the height of her career when her life came crashing into Joe Francis. ... She was making about $100,000 a year and now she is a flagger for the highway."

Ex-Washoe County deputy Ralph Hawkins was sentenced in December to three years probation and fined $4,000 for accepting the cash and tickets to Raiders games from Weinstein after U.S. prosecutors argued for leniency due to his cooperation in the case.

Weinstein is scheduled to be sentenced March 8 as part of a plea-bargain agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office after he pleaded guilty to a charge of providing contraband in prison.

Mary Boxx, of Sparks, who was an inmate specialist, also pleaded guilty in December to one count of accepting gratuities by a public official. Her sentencing is set for March 14.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100130/...ne_wild_bribes