Jump to content

Joe Francis: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Aaftergo (talk | contribs)
36 edits
m Reverted edits by Aaftergo (talk) to last version by Morning277
Line 26: Line 26:


==Early life==
==Early life==
Francis was born on April 1, 1973 to parents Raymond and Maria Francis. Francis' parents originally lived in New York but moved to Atlanta after his father left his career in advertising to run a company called Daddy Crisp Potato Chips.<ref>{{cite web | last=Faq.org| title=Real Potato Chips| url=http://www.faqs.org/copyright/using-three-identified-stages-to-document-and-explore/#id1239321 | accessdate = 17 May 2012}}</ref> Francis' family moved to [[Newport Beach, California | Newport Beach]], [[California | CA]] when he was seven years old where he attended [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Beach,_California#Education Our Lady Queen of Angels]. His parents later sent him to [[Boarding school | boarding school]] at [[Rumsey Hall School | Rumsey Hall]] in [[New England]] after he was expelled from Our Lady Queen of Angels. <ref>{{cite web | last=Boarding School Review | title=Famous Boarding School Alumni | url=http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/listing-alumni.php| accessdate = 17 May 2012}}</ref> Francis was later kicked out of the boarding school and returned to Newport Beach where he was enrolled in a military academy. He attended the academy for five days before getting kicked out of there and being sent to [[Reform school | reform school]] in [[Northern California]].<ref>{{cite web | last=All Star Picks | title=All Star Picks – Joe Francis | url=http://www.allstarpics.net/pic-gallery/joe-francis-pics.htm| accessdate = 17 May 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | last=Pop on the Pop | title=Joe Francis Bio | url=http://poponthepop.com/celebrities/joe-francis/bio.html| accessdate = 17 May 2012}}</ref>
Francis was born on April 1, 1973.


Francis grew up in [[Laguna Beach, California]] where he attended [[Laguna Beach High School]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Spokeo | title=Joe Francis – Entrepreneur, Founder, Director | url=http://www.spokeo.com/Joe+Francis+1 | accessdate = 17 May 2012}}</ref> Francis later received a degree in business administration from the [[University of Southern California]].<ref name="Bio"/> Francis worked for various media production companies, where he produced ''[[Banned From Television]]'' videos, using clips not suitable for mainstream broadcast from the studios he worked at to market on a direct to consumer basis.<ref name="MeetJoeBiography"/>
Francis grew up in [[Laguna Beach, California]] where he attended [[Laguna Beach High School]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Spokeo | title=Joe Francis – Entrepreneur, Founder, Director | url=http://www.spokeo.com/Joe+Francis+1 | accessdate = 17 May 2012}}</ref> Francis later received a degree in business administration from the [[University of Southern California]].<ref name="Bio"/> Francis worked for various media production companies, where he produced ''[[Banned From Television]]'' videos, using clips not suitable for mainstream broadcast from the studios he worked at to market on a direct to consumer basis.<ref name="MeetJoeBiography"/>

Revision as of 18:40, 19 May 2012

For other people named Joseph Francis, see Joseph Francis (disambiguation).
Joe Francis
Born
Joseph R. Francis

(1973-04-01) April 1, 1973 (age 51)
Atlanta, GA[1]
Alma mater USC[2]
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forFounder of Girls Gone Wild
WebsiteJoe Francis Official Website

Joseph R. "Joe" Francis (born April 1, 1973)[1] is an American entrepreneur, and creator of the Girls Gone Wild entertainment brand.

Early life

Francis was born on April 1, 1973 to parents Raymond and Maria Francis. Francis' parents originally lived in New York but moved to Atlanta after his father left his career in advertising to run a company called Daddy Crisp Potato Chips.[3] Francis' family moved to Newport Beach, CA when he was seven years old where he attended Our Lady Queen of Angels. His parents later sent him to boarding school at Rumsey Hall in New England after he was expelled from Our Lady Queen of Angels. [4] Francis was later kicked out of the boarding school and returned to Newport Beach where he was enrolled in a military academy. He attended the academy for five days before getting kicked out of there and being sent to reform school in Northern California.[5] [6]

Francis grew up in Laguna Beach, California where he attended Laguna Beach High School.[7] Francis later received a degree in business administration from the University of Southern California.[2] Francis worked for various media production companies, where he produced Banned From Television videos, using clips not suitable for mainstream broadcast from the studios he worked at to market on a direct to consumer basis.[1]

Beginning of a brand

Francis' first video, sold through commercials, was a series of private clips and news footage deletions of fatal accidents that were considered too graphic for broadcast. Banned From Television was a commercial success and spawned sequels. One of the videos that Francis had licensed contained footage of female college students flashing their breasts during Mardi Gras and Spring Break.[2]

Francis and Girls Gone Wild have come under legal scrutiny on occasion, including past allegations that footage of women in GGW videos was used without consent.[8]

Civil

In June 2007, Francis and his company were sued on charges that images were used without the subject's permission.[9] The plaintiff, Ashley Alexandra Dupré dropped the suit after Francis released footage showing her agreeing to be filmed.[10]

In 2008, four women sued Francis' company in Florida for filming them while underage, with one girl saying she had been 13 when filmed.[11] An all-female jury ruled that the plaintiffs were not entitled to any damages.[12]

Charges in Florida

In an incident at Panama City Beach, Florida, during spring break 2003, Francis was arrested and released on a $165,000 bond. He was first charged with 71 counts, including racketeering, drug trafficking, and child pornography. Police[who?] confiscated his private jet and other property.[13] At a July 27, 2006 hearing, the judge disallowed much of the evidence,[14] and on January 4, 2007 dismissed most of the charges, ruling that the remaining evidence did not support the allegations, and the seized assets were returned. Francis pleaded guilty to 18 U.S.C. § 2257 record keeping violations and was fined $1.6 million and sentenced to perform community service.[15]

On April 12, 2007, Francis was accused of bribery, possession of a controlled substance, and introducing contraband (cash and drugs) into the Panama City, Florida jail. The Associated Press reported that Francis (in jail for contempt of court) offered a guard one hundred and then five hundred dollars for a bottled water. Jailers[who?] allegedly found drugs including Lunesta and lorazepam in the jail cell. Francis says he had disclosed the medications upon his incarceration.[16]<[17][18] On March 12, 2008 Francis was convicted on child abuse and prostitution charges after pleading no contest. He also pleaded guilty to charges related to having contraband in his cell during the time he was held in jail. He was sentenced to time served (339 days) and more than $60,000 in fines and costs.[19]

Federal criminal tax problems

On April 11, 2007, Francis was indicted by a federal grand jury in Reno, Nevada on two counts of tax evasion[20]

Francis was charged with filing a fraudulent corporate tax return for a company for which he allegedly is the sole shareholder. The United States Department of Justice says that Francis claimed over $20 million in false business deductions on his corporate tax returns during 2002 and 2003.[21] The Los Angeles Times quoted his attorney, Jan L. Handzlik, as saying: "The government has chosen to make a criminal case out of what we believe to be, at most, a civil tax dispute..."[20]

On April 22, 2008, a change of venue was made to Los Angeles, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.[22] At a hearing on July 21, 2008, Francis pleaded not guilty to felony tax evasion. Francis' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, said that tax returns for the businesses were prepared and filed by a former corporate accountant without being shown to Francis. Bernhoft said that when the accountant left the companies, the accountant contacted the IRS to report the accounting mistakes with the hope of collecting a bonus from the government Tax Whistleblower Program.[23]

In September 2009, Francis pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns and bribing Nevada jail workers. The plea agreement reportedly requires him to pay $250,000 in restitution. He received credit for the time he served in jail, and would be subject to one year of supervised release.[24] On November 5, 2009, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero accepted Francis’ deal on the grounds that a key witness withheld information from prosecutors.

“It took us seven months, but in the end we demonstrated that the felony tax charges never should have been brought in the first place. As a result, the indictment was dismissed and the charges were reduced to only two misdemeanors with no jail time." Brad Brian, lead trial attorney, [25]

References

  1. ^ a b c Meet Joe Francis - Biography
  2. ^ a b c Joe Francis Business Biography
  3. ^ Faq.org. "Real Potato Chips". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  4. ^ Boarding School Review. "Famous Boarding School Alumni". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  5. ^ All Star Picks. "All Star Picks – Joe Francis". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  6. ^ Pop on the Pop. "Joe Francis Bio". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  7. ^ Spokeo. "Joe Francis – Entrepreneur, Founder, Director". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  8. ^ http://www.vanessagrigoriadis.com/francis.html
  9. ^ David Angier (2007-06-12). "Joe Francis faces new lawsuit". Panama City News Herald. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
  10. ^ Lia Haberman (2007-10-15). "The Hum: Joe Francis Off the Hook". E! Online. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  11. ^ "4 Women Sue 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis for Underage Filming". Fox News. 2008-03-25.
  12. ^ "Jury Awards Zero Dollars In Francis Federal Trial". WMBB. 2011-04-07.
  13. ^ "The Smoking Gun". 2003-04-04. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  14. ^ "Girls Gone Wild Catches Break". Emerald Coast. 2006-07-27. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  15. ^ Associated Press, January 5, 2007"Judge Drops Most Charges Against 'Girls Gone Wild' Producer Joe Francis"
  16. ^ http://meetjoefrancis.com/joe-francis-legal-story/joe-francis-legal-story-page5.php
  17. ^ "Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis hit with new charges". New York Daily News. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  18. ^ [1][dead link]
  19. ^ "'Girls Gone Wild's' Francis pleads no contest to child abuse, prostitution charges". The Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  20. ^ a b Richard Verrier (2007-04-12). "Tax evasion charges add to Francis' legal woes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  21. ^ #237: 04-11-07 CREATOR OF GIRLS GONE WILD INDICTED FOR TAX EVASION
  22. ^ United States v. Francis, no. 2:08-cr-00494-SJO, U.S. Dist. Ct., C.D. Calif.
  23. ^ "'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Fights Tax Charges," WebCPA, July 23, 2008, at [2]
  24. ^ "Joe Francis Cops Plea in Tax Evasion Case," North Country Gazette, Sept. 25, 2009, at [3]
  25. ^ "'Girls Gone Wild' founder Joe Francis sentenced in tax evasion and jail bribery case". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. 2009-11-06. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe Francis.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Francis&oldid=493380434"