Kristy Althaus, a former beauty pageant contestant, is suing PornHub for allegedly hosting videos of her being raped on their platform, 404 Media reported.
Althaus was stripped of her title as Miss Colorado teen runner-up after a pornographic film featuring her emerged in 2014, the Daily Mail reported. Her video was posted on GirlsDoPorn, run by Michael James Pratt, who was on the FBI’s most wanted list. The FBI captured Pratt in Spain in 2022, charging him with sex trafficking, production of child pornography, and sex trafficking of a minor.
Althaus claims that Pratt filmed her rape in a hotel room for nine to 10 hours, despite her bleeding. Althaus was allegedly fed marijuana, Xanax, and oxycodone, the outlet reported. (RELATED: VPN Searches Soar After Utah Loses PornHub Access, Data Shows)
Pratt allegedly sent threatening text messages demanding more videos from Althaus.
“U owe me 2 fycjing videos!!! I will cut and kill you bitch,” one message included in the complaint read, 404 media reported. “Watch your family and friends stupid bitch. You better be here by noon shoot 2tomorrow or your graveyard.”
Another sex trafficking lawsuit was just filed against P*rnhub in California. The leader of the P*rnhub partner trafficking operation was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list and found on Christmas eve last year. The victim is Miss Teen Colorado Kristy Althaus. #Traffickinghub pic.twitter.com/4Ao6aVsTmc
— Laila Mickelwait (@LailaMickelwait) September 12, 2023
“Pratt threatened Plaintiff that he would release her video to the Internet if Plaintiff did not comply with his demands,” the complaint reads, according to 404 Media. “Pratt also made threatening statements to Plaintiff about knowing her personal information, such as where she lived and her social security number.”
The complaint alleges that MindGeek, PornHub’s parent company, “knowingly and maliciously promoted” violent content originally posted on GirlsDoPorn, which was shut down in 2020, the outlet reported.
Althaus was allegedly responding to an ad for a modeling gig in San Diego when she was coerced into filming sexual content by Andre Garcia, who was sentenced in 2020 to 20 years in prison for working with GirlsDoPorn to traffic young victims, the outlet reported.
Girls Do Porn’s cameraman Theodore “Teddy” Gyi pleaded guilty in 2021 to lying to women about what they were going to do with the sexual content they filmed, saying it wouldn’t be posted online, according to the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California.
“There is a high price to be paid by those who fraudulently exploit young women and forever alter their lives for profit,” U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer said at the time, according to the Attorney’s Office statement. “Our prosecutors will leave no stone unturned in our effort to stop the tragedy of human trafficking and bring justice and restorative resources to its victims.”