Joe Francis – Gawker’s Douche of the Decade and a man who once bellowed that a “retarded” jury “should be shot dead” for convicting him of false imprisonment – has made millions of dollars by convincing skanky babes to bare their breasts for dozens upon dozens of “Girls Gone Wild” videos.
The last few years have not been kind to the softcore porn mogul, though.
His latest brush with the law came on Friday when cops arrested him for “pushing and shoving” someone at the “Girls Gone Wild” worldwide headquarters in Los Angeles, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Francis, 41, allegedly attacked an employee there, explains the gossip site TMZ. He also allegedly violated a restraining order issued by a federal bankruptcy judge which forbids him from coming within 100 feet of the office building.
When Francis arrived at the office, apparently with his pregnant wife in tow, an employee of the adult entertainment company attempted to prevent him from entering. A physical tussle ensued. The employee claims that Francis pushed him.
Building security called the police. The cops arrested Francis, hauled him off to jail and booked him for misdemeanor battery. He spent the night, according to the Associated Press. He was released on Saturday on $20,000 bail.
Francis has countered that the restraining order preventing him from entering the “Girls Gone Wild” headquarters has expired.
In any case, as TMZ notes, “Girls Gone Wild,” which filed for bankruptcy in February 2013, has a new owner.
Francis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the same time.
His vast multitude of creditors includes casino magnate Steve Wynn, who won a multi-million dollar defamation judgment against Francis after Francis said Wynn had threatened to kill him over a gambling debt.
Francis, a 1995 graduate of the University of Southern California’s entrepreneurship program, began selling his “Girls Gone Wild” videos in the late 1990s. The videos, and the never-ending late-night infomercials hawking them, mostly involved collages of young women voluntarily removing their clothes in front of video camera.
In 2013, Francis was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment, one assault charge and one charge of dissuading a witness. The charges related to a January 2011 incident at his mansion. His sentence included jail time, a lengthy probation period and an anger management course.
In 2008, four women sued Girls Gone Wild for allegedly filming them – apparently in various stages of undress – while they were minors. In the resulting trial, Francis represented himself until the judge cited him for contempt for asking one of the plaintiffs if she was a prostitute.
In 2003, Francis sued officials in Panama City Beach, Florida for First Amendment violations after they tried to prevent him from filming a pay-per-view event during spring break. The officials also arrested Francis for racketeering.
The resulting legal proceedings in Florida were a circus. A judge dismissed most of the charges. However, Francis spent nearly 12 months in jail and paid over $60,000 in fines.
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