Joe Francis
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Joseph R. (Joe) Francis (born April 1, 1973) [1] is the founder of Mantra Films, Inc.,[2] which produces the Girls Gone Wild and Guys Gone Wild DVD series. Francis, who grew up in Laguna Beach, California,[3] graduated from the University of Southern California in 1995 with a degree in Business Administration.[4] He founded Mantra at the age of 24. He has appeared on Howard Stern's radio show, and as a guest on The Man Show and other television programs.
Joe Francis's fame is based on a business model of getting young women to bare their breasts for the price of a tee shirt, filming it, and selling the resulting videos directly to the consumer. Mantra films has come under legal attack in the past because the camera man failed to get legal releases from the subjects. This resulted in several lawsuits, one of which was settled for $10,000.[5] Today the videos, which sell for as little as $9.99 a piece, contribute to a total sales figure of $40 million a year for Mantra Films, Inc.[3]
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[edit] Controversies
Francis has been the center of controversies, both as an individual and as the owner of Mantra Films, Inc.
[edit] Abduction
In 2004, Francis was videotaped in sexually humiliating positions[6], while held at gunpoint, and was subsequently blackmailed according to a Radar article.[7] Joe Francis, in an interview on July 24, 2006, on The Adam Carolla Show, stated that he was in fact kidnapped, held at gunpoint, and later blackmailed for the tape, but denied rumors of him performing sexual acts on camera. He went on to state that he was only forced to say "something like" "I'm a homosexual." on the camera. The tape or a copy of it was recovered by the LAPD for use in the criminal trial of his assailant, Darnell Riley. On February 7, 2006, Riley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in Corcoran State Prison.
[edit] Recent controversy
In the August 6, 2006 issue of West (the Sunday magazine of the Los Angeles Times), an article by Claire Hoffman followed Joe Francis across the country and described apparently illegal activities, such as supplying alcohol to minors including Kaitlyn Bultema. She also interviewed a young woman Jannel Szyszka about an alleged rape in the Girls Gone Wild bus. Hoffman reported that she herself was roughed up and insulted by Francis.
[edit] Litigation
Francis has been a party to several lawsuits. Some stem from activities during the filming of videos, and others from the company's practices.
[edit] Criminal
In an incident involving minors at Panama City Beach, Florida, during spring break 2003, Francis was arrested and then released on $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.[8] 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.[9]
On September 12, 2006, Mantra Films pled guilty to charges that it failed to create and maintain age and identity documents for performers in sexually explicit films that it produced and distributed, and that it failed to label its DVDs and videotapes as required by federal law. Mantra and a second related company, MRA Holdings LLC, entered into an agreement to pay a joint $2.1 million in fines and restitution - $500,000 of which to be paid by Francis personally.[10][11]
In March 2004, a Texas college student accused Francis of raping her in his Miami hotel room. She alleged that he had drugged her and had sex with her because she woke up the next morning in his bed and could not recall the events of the previous evening. Francis reported that he had consensual sex with the woman. The state attorney's office declined to press charges and noted that a blood test did not show any evidence of drugs.[12] Francis has sued his accuser for over $25 million for defamation.[13]
[edit] Civil
In January 2001, Francis was found liable by a Los Angeles jury for misappropriating the idea for Banned From Television, a series of extreme videotapes that preceded Girls Gone Wild. The jury awarded producer Les Haber a total of $3.5 million on his claims against Francis.[3]
[edit] Administrative proceedings before the FTC
A 2003 complaint against Mantra Films, Inc. resulted in a $1.1 million payout by the company. At the time Francis was the sole shareholder, officer, and director of Mantra. The complaint stemmed from Mantra's practice of enrolling customers in continuity programs without their consent. The penalty was partially to redress the customers who were harmed and also a civil penalty.[2]
[edit] Trivia
Actor Erik Palladino is reportedly often mistaken as Francis due to their physical resemblence.
[edit] References
- ^ Joe Francis's IMDB page. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ a b Sellers of ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Videos to Pay $1.1 Million to Settle Charges of Unauthorized Shipping and Billing (2004-07-30). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ a b c Hoffman, Claire (2006-08-06). 'Baby, Give Me a Kiss'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ Kenney, Kris (2004-12-03). Joe FRaNcis one WILD UNCENSORED!. The Miami Hurricane. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ Grigoriadis, Vanessa (2002-05-22). Wild Thing. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ Paris Hilton Instrumental In Seizing Of Joe Francis' Dildo Tormentor. The Defamer (2006-02-08). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ Ebner, Mark (Nov/Dec 2005). The Hustler, the Heiress, and the Soft-Porn King. Radar. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ The Smoking Gun (2003-04-04). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ Girls Gone Wild Catches Break. Emerald Coast (2006-07-27). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ "'Girls Gone Wild' Cuts Plea Deal", The Los Angeles Times
- ^ Hoffman, Claire (2006-09-13). Maker of 'Girls Gone Wild' Runs Afoul of Law on Minors. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
- ^ Navarro, Mireya (2004-04-30). National Briefing: South: Florida: Rape Inquiry Ends. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ The Smoking Gun (2004-04-19). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
