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'''Joseph R. "Joe" Francis''' (born April 1, 1973)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1256270/|title=Joe Francis's IMDB page|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> is an American entrepreneur known as the founder of [[Mantra Films, Inc.]], which produces the ''[[Girls Gone Wild]]'' and ''[[Guys Gone Wild]]'' [[DVD]] series.
'''Joseph R. "Joe" Francis''' (born April 1, 1973)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1256270/|title=Joe Francis's IMDB page|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> is an American entrepreneur and convicted criminal, known as the founder of [[Mantra Films, Inc.]], which produces the ''[[Girls Gone Wild]]'' and ''[[Guys Gone Wild]]'' [[DVD]] series.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Line 24: Line 24:
==Beginning of a brand==
==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 considered a commercial success and it spawned other sequels. One of the videos that Francis had licensed contained footage of female college students flashing their breasts during [[Mardi Gras]] and [[Spring Break]]. Seeing the marketing appeal, he titled that footage ''[[Girls Gone Wild]]'' (''GGW''). He eventually stopped licensing the material and began producing it himself.
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'', buying into the latter end of a fad for "Too Hot for TV!"-type videos (as promoted heavily by [[COPS]] and the [[Jerry Springer Show]]) was considered a commercial success and it spawned other sequels. Realizing he had a talent for both [[marketing]] and [[video production]], and noting a lucrative market for the risque, Francis began brainstorming.

Francis had noted the rise of Internet pornography, which he saw as a marketing frontier with near-unlimited growth potential; he reasoned, however, that a large proportion of the potential porn market would need to be "reached out to" -- or, rather, that the one to reach-out to those simply watching TV, would stand to make a substantial profit. On a hunch, he began to form his own company, Mantra Films, anticipating that there was no reason not to get a jump on the business aspects of his ideas; the only question that remained was how to acquire the content to actually market to television viewers. He would get his spark of an idea one day when he attended a "Rave Night" at a Cabo San Lucas night club; witnessing a rather oversexed DJ, and the DJ's ability to entice women to remove their clothing in exchange for trinkets -- and public recognition -- Francis felt that he had found his niche.


In 1997, at the age of 24, Francis founded [[Mantra Films, Inc]].<ref name="FTC">{{cite web|url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/07/girlsgonewild.htm|title=Sellers of ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Videos to Pay $1.1 Million to Settle Charges of Unauthorized Shipping and Billing|accessdate=2006-08-15|date=2004-07-30}}</ref> Building on Francis' discovery that he could film college-age women "going wild," including baring their breasts for the cameras at spring breaks and other locales. Mantra also spun off the ''[[Guys Gone Wild]]'' DVD series.
In 1997, at the age of 24, Francis founded [[Mantra Films, Inc]].<ref name="FTC">{{cite web|url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/07/girlsgonewild.htm|title=Sellers of ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Videos to Pay $1.1 Million to Settle Charges of Unauthorized Shipping and Billing|accessdate=2006-08-15|date=2004-07-30}}</ref> Building on Francis' discovery that he could film college-age women "going wild," including baring their breasts for the cameras at spring breaks and other locales. Mantra also spun off the ''[[Guys Gone Wild]]'' DVD series.

Revision as of 11:45, 8 November 2010

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

(1973-04-01) April 1, 1973 (age 51)
OccupationOwner of Mantra Films Inc

Joseph R. "Joe" Francis (born April 1, 1973)[1] is an American entrepreneur and convicted criminal, known as the founder of Mantra Films, Inc., which produces the Girls Gone Wild and Guys Gone Wild DVD series.

Early life and education

Francis grew up in Laguna Beach, California.[2] His parents are Raymond and Maria Francis[3] and he has three sisters.

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, buying into the latter end of a fad for "Too Hot for TV!"-type videos (as promoted heavily by COPS and the Jerry Springer Show) was considered a commercial success and it spawned other sequels. Realizing he had a talent for both marketing and video production, and noting a lucrative market for the risque, Francis began brainstorming.

Francis had noted the rise of Internet pornography, which he saw as a marketing frontier with near-unlimited growth potential; he reasoned, however, that a large proportion of the potential porn market would need to be "reached out to" -- or, rather, that the one to reach-out to those simply watching TV, would stand to make a substantial profit. On a hunch, he began to form his own company, Mantra Films, anticipating that there was no reason not to get a jump on the business aspects of his ideas; the only question that remained was how to acquire the content to actually market to television viewers. He would get his spark of an idea one day when he attended a "Rave Night" at a Cabo San Lucas night club; witnessing a rather oversexed DJ, and the DJ's ability to entice women to remove their clothing in exchange for trinkets -- and public recognition -- Francis felt that he had found his niche.

In 1997, at the age of 24, Francis founded Mantra Films, Inc.[4] Building on Francis' discovery that he could film college-age women "going wild," including baring their breasts for the cameras at spring breaks and other locales. Mantra also spun off the Guys Gone Wild DVD series.

Francis' Girls Gone Wild is regularly referenced in today’s society and pop culture atmosphere and was recently cited as an example of "sexualization," number 23 on USA Today's list of the "25 Trends that Changed America".[5]

Controversies

Claire Hoffman reported in an article in the Los Angeles Times that Francis had pinned her against a car and twisted her arm when he was reenacting an incident he had with police in Panama City, and that police had to separate Francis from Hoffman.[6] Francis disputes her version of events.[7]

Other controversies include allegations of conspiracy to use minors in sexual performances. A 2006 Los Angeles Times interview mentions accusations of aggression toward women including repeated harassment and referring to them by epithets for the female genitalia, a death threat, and a rape accusation.[6]

Francis has been criticized by third wave feminist Ariel Levy for perpetuating what some consider "the new double standard," which equates the objectification of women with sexual liberation.[8]

In January 2004 Francis was kidnapped from his Bel Air home by a would-be blackmailer, Darnell Riley. Riley first put a revolver up to Francis's head and duct-taped his hands behind his back. He then videotaped Francis, lying on a bed with his shirt off and a vibrating dildo at the crest of buttocks, repeating, "My name is Joe Francis, I'm from Boys Gone Wild and I like it in the ass." Riley later attempted to extort $500,000 from Francis. Darnell Riley was tried in 2006, convicted, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.[9][10]

Mantra Films has come under legal scrutiny on a number of occasions. Recurring allegations include that footage of women engaged in sexual activity was used without the consent of the women, that Mantra Films engaged in sexual exploitation of minors, and that incomplete records were kept of participants in GGW videos.[11][12]

Civil

In 2002, Becky Lynn Gritzke discovered that she had been covertly filmed flashing her breasts at a Mardi Gras festival and that the image had been used without her permission on billboards advertising Girls Gone Wild videos and on the cover of a video. She sued Mantra Films and settled for an undisclosed sum under an agreement according to which GGW agreed to cease distributing all material bearing Gritzke's image[13]

In June 2007, Francis and Mantra Films became the subject of another lawsuit claiming that images had been used without the subject's permission.[14] However, the plaintiff, Ashley Alexandra Dupré better known as the prostitute involved in the Eliot Spitzer scandal that led to his resignation as New York governor in March 2008, dropped the suit after Francis released footage showing her agreeing to be filmed.[15]

Charges in Florida

In an incident at Panama City Beach, Florida, during spring break 2003, Francis was arrested and then released on a $165,000 bond. He was initially charged with 71 separate counts, including racketeering, drug trafficking, and child pornography. Police confiscated his private jet and other property.[16] At a July 27, 2006 hearing, the judge threw out 200 hours of videotape and hundreds of other key pieces of evidence in the case,[17] and on January 4, 2007 dismissed almost all of the charges, ruling that "the evidence did not support the allegations," and the seized assets were returned. Francis plead guilty to several counts of 18 U.S.C. § 2257 record keeping violation and was fined $1.6M and sentenced to perform community service.[18]

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 allegedly found drugs including Lunesta and lorazepam in the jail cell. This is despite the fact that Francis had disclosed the medication upon his incarceration; the medications were necessary to his health, and his possession of them was otherwise entirely lawful.[19] Francis reportedly faced up to five years in prison if convicted on these charges.[20][21] On March 12, 2008 Francis was convicted on child abuse and prostitution charges after pleading no contest in a plea bargain. 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.[22]

On March 25, 2008, four women filed suit against him in Florida for filming them while underage, with one girl claiming she had been 13 when filmed.[23]

Wynn Resorts Ltd.

Francis is being sued by the Wynn Las Vegas casino for $2 million in gambling debt from February 2007. The lawsuit was filed on June 27, 2008 in Clark County District Court. A spokesperson for the casino claims that the debt has been in their collections department and the suit is a last resort to obtain the debt plus costs. In response to the lawsuit, Francis asserted that he had already paid his debt through agreements with the hotel including certain discounts. Francis claims that he was deceived by the hotel and its Chief Executive Steve Wynn.[24] Francis attended a deposition in connection with the lawsuit and tried to take the fifth amendment with respect to almost all questions asked, including whether or not he owned a cell phone. During the deposition Francis repeatedly took out his cell phone and appeared to answer emails, and at one point took a call. Steve Wynn's attorneys reported that Francis repeatedly passed gas during the deposition. “As the court will see from reviewing the video clips of Francis’ deposition, his utter contempt for the judicial system is apparent, including his repeated attempts to disrupt the deposition with flatulence,” the lawyers wrote. Ultimately, the judge in the case ruled that Francis was liable for the entire $2 million, calling Francis’ conduct “the most ridiculous exercise of the Fifth Amendment I think I’ve ever seen.” Francis is expected to appeal the judge's ruling.[25]

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[26][27] under 26 U.S.C. § 7201.[28]

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 asserts that Francis claimed over $20 million in false business deductions on his corporate tax returns during 2002 and 2003.[29] 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..."[26] A trial date was set and subsequently vacated in the case.[30][31]

On April 22, 2008, a court order was entered changing the location of the case (a change of venue) to Los Angeles, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, as case number 2:08-cr-00494-SJO.[32] 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 asserts 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.[33]

On February 2, 2009, Francis was arrested for failing to attend his court hearing. The following day, he was released to home detention and electronic monitoring on the grounds that he was too sick to attend the hearing.[34]

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 would receive credit for the time he has served in jail, and would be subject to one year of supervised release.[35] 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, [36]

On November 6, 2009, The IRS filed a federal tax lien in the amount of $33,819,087.14 for failing to pay personal income taxes for the 2001, 2002, and 2003 calendar years.[37] On or about November 18, 2009; Francis himself stated the IRS seized over $100,000,000 in cash from various bank accounts.[38]

References

  1. ^ "Joe Francis's IMDB page". Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  2. ^ Hoffman, Claire (2006-08-06). "'Baby, Give Me a Kiss'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  3. ^ "Meet Joe Francis - My Story- Page 1".
  4. ^ "Sellers of 'Girls Gone Wild' Videos to Pay $1.1 Million to Settle Charges of Unauthorized Shipping and Billing". 2004-07-30. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  5. ^ USA Today, 25 Trends That Changed America, 2007-03-27
  6. ^ a b Claire Hoffman (2006-08-06). "Joe Francis: 'Baby, give me a kiss'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  7. ^ "LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!". Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  8. ^ Levy, Ariel (March 22, 2004). "Dispatches from Girls Gone Wild". Slate. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  9. ^ 'Girls Gone Wild' Producer Victimized The Associated Press, December 20, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  10. ^ Ebner, Mark (2009-02-03). The Six Degrees of Paris Hilton: Inside the Sex Tapes, Scandals, and Shakedowns of the New Hollywood. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. ISBN 1416959343.
  11. ^ Rolling Stone, Wild Thing, By Vanessa Grigoriadis, 05-22-2002
  12. ^ ibid.
  13. ^ "Woman who bared breasts at Mardi Gras sues video makers". Associated Press. January 23, 2002. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Lia Haberman (2007-10-15). "The Hum: Joe Francis Off the Hook". E! Online. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  16. ^ "The Smoking Gun". 2003-04-04. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  17. ^ "Girls Gone Wild Catches Break". Emerald Coast. 2006-07-27. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  18. ^ Associated Press, January 5, 2007"Judge Drops Most Charges Against 'Girls Gone Wild' Producer Joe Francis"
  19. ^ http://meetjoefrancis.com/joe-francis-legal-story/joe-francis-legal-story-page5.php
  20. ^ "Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis hit with new charges". New York Daily News. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  21. ^ [1][dead link]
  22. ^ "'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.
  23. ^ "4 Women Sue 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis for Underage Filming". Fox News. 2008-03-25.
  24. ^ Garcia, Oskar (2008-07-01). ""Las Vegas casino sues 'Girls Gone Wild' founder"". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  25. ^ German, Jeff (2009-08-14). ""'Girls Gone Wild' producer ordered to pay Wynn millions"". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  26. ^ a b Richard Verrier (2007-04-12). "Tax evasion charges add to Francis' legal woes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-06-14. [dead link]
  27. ^ "'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis Indicted on Tax Charges". Fox News. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
  28. ^ Indictment, docket entry 1, April 11, 2007, United States v. Joseph R. Francis, United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Reno Division; case no. 3:07-cr-00026-BES-RAM-ALL.
  29. ^ #237: 04-11-07 CREATOR OF GIRLS GONE WILD INDICTED FOR TAX EVASION
  30. ^ The News Herald, Panama City, Fla Francis to Seek Removal From Lawsuit, Saturday, 24 May 2008, By David Angier
  31. ^ Order to Continue, docket entry 45, September 7, 2007, United States v. Joseph R. Francis, United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Reno Division; case no. 3:07-cr-00026-BES-RAM-ALL.
  32. ^ United States v. Francis, no. 2:08-cr-00494-SJO, U.S. Dist. Ct., C.D. Calif.
  33. ^ "'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Fights Tax Charges," WebCPA, July 23, 2008, at [2]
  34. ^ "Joe Francis ordered released from custody". Yahoo. 2009-02-03. Retrieved 2009-02-04. [dead link]
  35. ^ "Joe Francis Cops Plea in Tax Evasion Case," North Country Gazette, Sept. 25, 2009, at [3]
  36. ^ November 6, 2009  (2009-11-06). "'Girls Gone Wild' founder Joe Francis sentenced in tax evasion and jail bribery case | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved 2010-05-05. {{cite news}}: Text " 12:45 pm" ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/1118_francis.pdf
  38. ^ "Joe Francis - Record-Breaking Tax Debtor". TMZ.com. 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2010-05-05.

External links

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