Salon.com > joe francis

“Girls Gone Wild” founder angry over invasion of his sexual privacy

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Joe Francis has made millions by sexually exploiting and humiliating women (and, in more than a few cases, underage girls) in various states of inebriation and undress, so news that he is the victim of a sex tape leak feels more than a little like cosmic justice.

The footage, allegedly stolen from Francis' girlfriend Abbey Wilson's iPad, is currently being shopped around to various media outlets, leaving the "Girls Gone Wild" founder feeling very exposed and very, very angry at the alleged thief.

"It is not only unfortunate, but it is a crime. As such, this office will take all necessary steps to determine who in fact has done this and who is attempting to distribute the video ... when we catch you, we will see that you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of both the criminal and civil laws," Francis' lawyer David Houston told TMZ.

Joe Francis apologizes for calling jury “retarded”

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:04:00 +0000

"Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis is backtracking on his comments in a Hollywood Reporter interview during which he called the jury who found him guilty "mentally fucking retarded" and said that they "should all be lined up and shot."

Hours after Francis' interview hit the Internet, one of the 12 jurors spoke out in defense of the verdict, which found Francis guilty of assaulting and falsely imprisoning three women in his Hollywood home in 2011.

In a reversal from the tone of his original interview -- during which he boasted a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, saying "I am who I am" -- Francis has now issued an apology, calling his remarks "appalling." The 40-year-old, who is no stranger to trouble, maintained his innocence, however. The full apology below, via the Hollywood Reporter:

Juror responds to Joe Francis’ insults with thoughtful email

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:50:00 +0000

Joe Francis, the "Girls Gone Wild" creator who was recently found guilty of assaulting and imprisoning three young women in his Hollywood home, presumed that the jury must have been "mentally f–ing retarded" and said they "should all be lined up and shot" in a revealing interview with the Hollywood Reporter.

One of those jurors has now responded to the incendiary comments, telling Gawker about the deliberation process in Francis' trial. In an eloquently worded message, the juror's levelheadedness counters Francis' hotheadedness and proves that he and the other jurors took the deliberations seriously:

It's a little bizarre to have someone looking into a camera and suggesting you be shot, even if he has no idea what I look like since he never showed up at the trial. If anything, it reaffirms the decision we came to — unanimously, of course, after only about a day and half of deliberations — as one of the charges was directly related to the vague (and no so vague) threats he made against the victim he assaulted to keep her from filing a police report. I'm just thinking about all the nice, salt-of-the-earth people on that jury that Joe Francis is suggesting be shot. There were some older, middle-aged, retired women. There were four middle-aged men. Some women were in their 30's. All different races. I was the youngest.

“Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis to jury: “You should be euthanized”

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:20:00 +0000

"Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis, who faces up to five years of imprisonment after being found guilty of misdemeanor counts of assault and false imprisonment, has a message for the jury. In an exclusive interview with the Hollywood Reporter, he said:

"I want that jury to know that each and every one of you are mentally f--ing retarded and you should be euthanized because, as Darwin said, you have naturally selected yourself," he shouts. "You are the weakest members of the herd. Goodbye! And if that jury wants to convict me because I didn't show up, which is the only reason why they did, then, you know, they should all be lined up and shot!"

He continues:

"The problem with the jury system is that anyone who's not smart enough to come with an excuse to get out of jury duty doesn't get out," he continues. "Only the stupidest of the stupidest people end up on juries, you know? I've never met a smart person who's done jury duty."

“Girls Gone Wild” founder headed to jail

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:25:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES - "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis was found guilty Monday of misdemeanor counts of assault and false imprisonment stemming from a dispute with three women after a night out at a Hollywood club in 2011.

Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said in a statement that after a two-week trial, a jury convicted the 40-year-old Francis of three counts of false imprisonment, one count of assault causing great bodily injury and one count of dissuading a witness. He faces a maximum of five years in prison. A hearing to schedule his sentencing was set for Wednesday.

Francis met the three women as they celebrated a college graduation at a the Supper Club in Hollywood on Jan. 29, 2011, took one of them by the hand as he left and took her to his limo, and the other two followed thinking Francis was giving them a ride to their car, prosecutors said.

Did the Internet kill “Girls Gone Wild”?

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:42:00 +0000

When the world is tired of sloppy drunk chicks taking off their tops for trucker hats, it is tired of itself. World, we must be damn weary. The Joe Francis "Girls Gone Wild" empire has filed for bankruptcy protection.

I'm sure you're absolutely heartbroken over what will happen to the man who's made a living finding young women whose judgment is deeply impaired and coercing them into acts that range from a flash of boobies to reportedly losing their virginity to him. Across the nation, women everywhere are so sad, they're leaving their shirts on and can't even muster a single, forlorn "whooooooo."

There was a time, just a few years ago, when Francis seemed to have the Midas touch, a moment when everything in his path turned into nipples and girl-on-girl makeout sessions. Francis was said to have been worth $150 million, and his future looked like it would continue to be more of the same. After all, what's a more reliable moneymaker than youth and poor decision-making?

“Girls Gone Wild” gone bankrupt

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:05:00 +0000

"Girls Gone Wild" has filed for bankruptcy.

But don't rejoice just yet: Joe Francis, the man who made millions by coaxing intoxicated coeds (and underage girls) to flash their breasts with beads and free T-shirts, is still completely awful and unapologetic. And, if you believe a spokesman for the company, "Girls Gone Wild" may still rebound. A spokesperson said in a statement that the move is strictly an effort to "restructure its legal affairs," going on to say that "'Girls Gone Wild' remains strong as a company and strong financially."

Although no longer owned by Francis, at least one of the company's major debts is a $10.3 million defamation settlement that Francis personally owed to Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn. After incurring more than $2 million in gambling losses, Francis told tabloid site TMZ that Wynn had threatened to kill him after he failed to pay up: "Wynn threatened to kill me. He said he would hit me in the back of the head with a shovel and bury me in a hole in the desert," he told cameras. A jury ruled that the soft-porn mogul's false death threat allegations defamed Wynn, ordering Francis to pay $20 million in damages.