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| 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 '']'''s list of the "25 Trends that Changed America."<ref>, 2007-03-27</ref> | 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 '']'''s list of the "25 Trends that Changed America."<ref>, 2007-03-27</ref> | ||
| ==Controversies== | |||
| Francis has been criticized by ] ] for perpetuating what some consider "the new double standard," which equates the objectification of women with sexual liberation.<ref>{{cite web| last= Levy | first= Ariel| authorlink= Ariel Levy| title= Dispatches from Girls Gone Wild | url= http://www.slate.com/id/2097485/entry/2097496/|work=Slate|date=March 22, 2004|accessdate=April 10, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| Francis and his company 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.<ref></ref><ref>''ibid.''</ref> | |||
| ===Civil=== | |||
| In June 2007, Francis and his company became the subject of a lawsuit claiming that images had been used without the subject's permission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsherald.com/headlines/article.display.php?a=1699|title=Joe Francis faces new lawsuit|accessdate=2007-06-14|author=David Angier|date=2007-06-12|publisher=Panama City News Herald |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070928060617/http://www.newsherald.com/headlines/article.display.php?a=1699 |archivedate = September 28, 2007}}</ref> However, the plaintiff, ] better known as the prostitute involved in the ] 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/gossip/hum/detail/index.jsp?uuid=0d2a43dc-c414-437e-aabb-1a90c39a2c7d | |||
| |title =The Hum: Joe Francis Off the Hook|accessdate=2007-10-15|author=Lia Haberman|date=2007-10-15|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| ===Charges in Florida=== | |||
| In an incident at ], ], during ] 2003, Francis was arrested and then released on a $165,000 ]. He was initially charged with 71 separate counts, including racketeering, drug trafficking, and ]. Police{{Who|date=January 2012}} confiscated his private jet and other property.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/ggwild1.html|title=The Smoking Gun|date=2003-04-04|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://travel.emeraldcoast.com/springbreak/news/article.showarticle.db.php?a=4968|title=Girls Gone Wild Catches Break|work=Emerald Coast|accessdate=2006-08-15|date=2006-07-27}}</ref> 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 ] record keeping violation and was fined $1.6M and sentenced to perform community service.<ref>"Judge Drops Most Charges Against 'Girls Gone Wild' Producer Joe Francis"</ref> | |||
| On April 12, 2007, Francis was accused of bribery, possession of a controlled substance, and introducing contraband (cash and drugs) into the ] jail. The ] 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|date=January 2012}} allegedly found drugs including ] and ] in the jail cell. This is despite the fact that Francis had disclosed the medication upon his incarceration.<ref>http://meetjoefrancis.com/joe-francis-legal-story/joe-francis-legal-story-page5.php</ref> Francis reportedly faced up to five years in prison if convicted on these charges.<ref name=news0413>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/04/13/2007-04-13_girls_gone_wild_founder_joe_francis_hit_.html | |||
| |title=Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis hit with new charges|accessdate=2007-10-15|date=2007-04-13|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{Dead link|date=May 2010}}</ref> On March 12, 2008 Francis was convicted on ] and ] charges after pleading ] in a ]. 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.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/west/la-na-francis13mar13,0,7528939.story|title='Girls Gone Wild's' Francis pleads no contest to child abuse, prostitution charges|date=2008-03-13|accessdate=2009-01-10 | work=The Los Angeles Times}}</ref> | |||
| 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.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341430,00.html | work=Fox News | title=4 Women Sue 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis for Underage Filming | date=2008-03-25}}</ref> On April 7, 2011, this trial was decided with no award for the plaintiffs.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.wmbb.com/Global/story.asp?S=14400644 | work=WMBB | title= Jury Awards Zero Dollars In Francis Federal Trial | date=2011-04-07}}</ref> | |||
| ===Federal criminal tax problems=== | |||
| On April 11, 2007, Francis was indicted by a federal grand jury in ] on two counts of ]<ref name="timesverrier">{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/12/business/fi-girls12|title=Tax evasion charges add to Francis' legal woes|accessdate=2011-05-31|author=Richard Verrier|date=2007-04-12|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| 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.<ref></ref> The '']'' 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..."<ref name="timesverrier"/> A trial date was set and subsequently vacated in the case.<ref></ref><ref>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.</ref> | |||
| 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.<ref>''United States v. Francis'', no. 2:08-cr-00494-SJO, U.S. Dist. Ct., C.D. Calif.</ref> 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.<ref>"'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Fights Tax Charges," WebCPA, July 23, 2008, at </ref> | |||
| 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090204/en_nm/us_francis_4|title=Joe Francis ordered released from custody|accessdate=2009-02-04|date=2009-02-03|publisher=Yahoo}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> | |||
| 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.<ref>"Joe Francis Cops Plea in Tax Evasion Case," ''North Country Gazette'', Sept. 25, 2009, at </ref> 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. | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| “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, | |||
| <ref name="latimesblogs.latimes.com">{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/girls-gone-wild-founder-sentenced-for-filing-false-tax-returns-and-bribing-jail-workers.html |title='Girls Gone Wild' founder Joe Francis sentenced in tax evasion and jail bribery case |publisher=Latimesblogs.latimes.com |date=2009-11-06 |accessdate=2010-05-05}}</ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| 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.<ref>http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/1118_francis.pdf</ref> | |||
| == References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 03:58, 24 April 2012
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| Joe Francis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Joseph R. Francis (1973-04-01) April 1, 1973 (age 51) Atlanta, GA |
| Occupation | Founder of Girls Gone Wild |
Joseph R. "Joe" Francis (born April 1, 1973) is an American entrepreneur, known as the creator of the Girls Gone Wild entertainment brand.
Francis grew up in Laguna Beach, California. After high school Francis attended and graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Southern California.
After graduating, Francis worked with his father's business, then for various media production companies, where he founded 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. Banned from Television made Francis a millionaire by 24. It was from Banned From Television, that Francis developed the concept of college girls exposing their breasts and marketing these videos direct to consumers as well. Initially marketed as College Girls Gone Wild, Girls Gone Wild was born from this concept.
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' 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."
References
- "meetjoefrancis.com".
- "'Joe Francis Biography'". 2007-09-29.
- http://www.meetjoefrancis.com/joe-francis-biography/
- "Joe Francis Business Bio Page".
- USA Today, 25 Trends That Changed America, 2007-03-27
External links
- Joe Francis at IMDb