"Girls Gone Wild" Asshole-In-Chief fined $2.1 million. Good. FUCK him.

[Human Torch]

'Girls Gone Wild' producers fined $2.1 million



http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/09/12/ggw.plea/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The entertainment company that produces the "Girls Gone Wild" films and its founder pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges they failed to document the ages of female performers in sexually oriented productions. Mantra Films of Santa Monica, California, entered a plea agreement in a federal court in Panama City, Florida, the Justice Department said.

Authorities said Joseph Francis, founder of Mantra Films and a related company, MRA Holdings, also agreed to plead guilty to charges to be filed later in Los Angeles, and to pay fines and restitution totaling $2.1 million. (Read the agreement -- pdfexternal link)

The "Girls Gone Wild" videotapes -- often featuring young women heavily partying and baring their breasts -- are widely advertised on some cable television channels.

Mantra Films specifically pleaded guilty in Florida to charges that it failed to create and maintain age and identity documents for performers. The company also admitted it failed to label its videotapes and DVDs as required by federal law.

[mitchum]

1. He is a sleazy guy, but it's not as if he held a gun to any of those...

bimbos head. I believe his "weapons of coercion" are a freakin' T shirt and booze.
Note: I am refering to "The Girls Gone Wild" junk.

[Susang]

3. Have you read this article?

You should.

http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/west/la-tm-gonewild32aug06,0,2664370.story

[mitchum]

6. Oops, I stand corrected

[Susang]

7. Quite the eye opener, isn't it?

I'm not shedding any tears for that asswipe. ;-)

[mitchum]

19. That article also makes it pretty obvious that he is also coked...

to the gills

[Susang]

30. Not much of a surprise there

You'd think by now he would have been arrested on drug charges.

[petronius]

There was a very interesting article in the LA Times a few weeks back

about this guy. It seems that the degree of coercion is not limited to a consensual t-shirt trade once the woman is drunk and away from her friends...

[Shakespeare]

5. I just linked it in the post below. Here's a snip:

Eventually, Szyszka says, Francis told the cameraman to leave and pushed her back on the bed, undid his jeans and climbed on top of her. "I told him it hurt, and he kept doing it. And I keep telling him it hurts. I said, 'No' twice in the beginning, and during I started saying, 'Oh, my god, it hurts.' I kept telling him it hurt, but he kept going, and he said he was sorry but kissed me so I wouldn't keep talking."

Afterward, she says, Francis cleaned them both off with a paper towel and told her to get dressed. Then, she says, he opened the door and told the cameraman to come back, saying, "She's not a virgin anymore."

[petronius]

10. I guess great minds think alike!

I was a bit embarrassed to see that 3 people had mentioned the article simultaneously, and I was the only one who failed to include a link... :(

Pretty sickening stuff, but not really surprising. I'll bet that girl's story is just the tip of the iceberg - and this guy isn't the only player in that industry, just the biggest...

[Shakespeare]

11. Nah, we're just quick on the draw with google.

It's very sickening. The man needs therapy or incarceration or both. Instead, he gets rich. What a proud moment to be an American, no?

[Susang]

15. Not simultaneously

I was first by two whole minutes! :P

[petronius]

18. Geez, rub it in, whydontcha?

At least me something to prop up my wounded pride...

:)

[ikojo]

13. Why isn't this guy in prison?

Wow! The trauma that girl experienced.

[mitchum]

20. Maybe he has Hugh Hefner's lawyer?

[Human Torch]

24. Hef can BLOW ME. Really. BLOW ME, Hef, you LOSER.

An 80 year old doddering old fart who's surrounded by 18 year olds.

I used to think Hef was cool. When I was a kid with a 24-hour hard-on and didn't have a CLUE about women and the REAL WORLD.

Then I realized that he's an 80 year old man paying 18 year olds to blow him. A smelly old fucker in a bathrobe and PJs who needs to take Viagra to keep his shriveled, wrinkled dick UP.

Then I got sick to my fucking stomach.

Just my humble opinion. But I want to make sure the "Hef Can Blow Me" part is crystal-clear. Because he CAN. BLOW ME, that is. HEF...BLOW ME.

:patriot:

[mitchum]

41. I've always found Hefner to be just a bourgeoise pitchman...

he really is a just a middlebrow and and a lifelong champion of consumption and American commercial culture, but what do you expect from a "former" adman? And you are right: he is even more ridiculous now.
I honestly do think the "Girls Gone Wild" mogul really is just an updated version of Hefner's approach.
In an odd way, I actually respect "real" pornographers far more than those two.

[Shakespeare]

4. Yes, he does use coercion on those "bimbos."

I suggest you give this a spin:

http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/west/la-tm-gonewild32aug06,0,2664370.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[mitchum]

8. Okay, that's different...I stand corrected

[Shakespeare]

9. Yup. It's a very enlightening article.

I'm glad some of the truth about Francis is finally making the headlines. What's really sad is that our society still defaults to "the bimbo got what she deserved." I don't know if we'll ever evolve. :-(

[mitchum]

17. i certainly don't think it's a case of "the bimbo got what she deserved"..

but do any of these women really think they're gonna be working with Werner Herzog?
It's a pretty stupid undertaking to be willing to "party a little" with this creep.

[Shakespeare]

21. What I think....

...is that most of these girls are VERY young and VERY drunk (or stoned), and Francis really exploits that. Yes, they should exercise better judgment; but Francis is taking advantage of young women in a highly compromised state, so I'm less inclined to moralize to the young women and more inclined to suggest maybe the authorities look into his activities. Fortunately, more women are beginning to come forward about his coercive actions (bordering on and including rape), so perhaps his days as the GGW mogul are numbered.

[Malikshah]

23. May he fall crotch first into a woodchipper ... and get stuck.

Don't wish him death, just that he'll be "smooth betwixt the loins" and forced to pee in a bag for the rest of his decrepit life.:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[blondeatlast]

35. Perfect karma, perfect. nt

[Human Torch]

12. AGREED. 100% AGREED, my friend.

The women..."girls," or "women," whatever the "POLITICALLY CORRECT" term is to use here...who appeared on those tapes / DVDs, should be SMART enough to know what they signed up for, and if NOT, the DU 'Politically Correct Fatwa Police" can step in and issue a HOLY MOTHERF**KING EDICT against me. A self-righteous response based on NOT READING MY ORIGINAL POST.

The whole "Girls Gone Wild" concept SICKENS me...in my mind, it is the NADIR of exploiting women.

FUCK this asshole. If people want to attack me for that stance, my response is "Bring it ON, motherf**ker..."...FUCKING BRING IT ON.

:patriot:

[Shakespeare]

14. I am not clear on one thing.

What does your original post, which details the fine Francis paid for not documenting the ages of the women in his videos, have to do with disdain heaped upon him based upon evidence that he coerced--and forcibly raped--some of his subjects?

You say "FUCK this asshole" in one breath, but then blame the women--most of whom were extremely drunk (or otherwise under the influence). You seem to contradict yourself, and I'm just asking which it is.

[Human Torch]

22. I don't "blame" the women.

...I see this guy as a predator, plain and simple. A profiteer, a pimp, an asshole, a worthless SCUMBAG...per my original post...but this guy is the dregs of humanity to me, a bottom feeder, an asshole...the worst of the worst. A monkey, a pig, a prick, a scumbag...all of the above.Any questions? No? GOOD.

Women who appear in the "Girls Gone Wild" videos MUST sign a contract. I don't question their reasons for doing so, and I don't judge them. The simple fact remains that they must sign their consent or the video will not appear...plain and simple. That's not "blaming".. it's a FACT. Sign the consent form, your tits are on display for the world to see, Don't sign it, NO VIDEO. Plain and simple.

I think the guy behind this bullshit is a pig, an asshole, abomination. I do not "judge" the women that appear on the videos. If there's anything else you need to know, please ask.

I love and respect women. Anyone who "thinks" they know me and has an opinion to the contrary, here's your opportunity to step forward NOW.

:patriot:

[Kajsa]

25. Human Torch, I read the LA Times Magazine

article on this guy when it first came out.

Not only does he exploit very young ( minors?), impressionable
women, he is a rapist ( see excerpt above) and in general, the
biggest, sexist A-Hole I have heard of in a long time.

He's a sick MoFo to boot. He gets off on physically hurting women,
calls them sluts and worse, the list goes on.

I hope they throw the book at him, he gets a conviction and spends
a very long time in jail.

:grr:

[Shakespeare]

28. Mkay.

Thanks for the clarification--I wasn't being snarky; I really couldn't tell quite where you stood on the matter.

As for that contract--keep in mind that it's signed when the women are stumbling drunk, and under considerable pressure to do so. If that doesn't make you feel, well, ICKY when you think about it--at least as icky as thinking about Hef in his PJs and robe--it should. It's not too far removed from someone (not YOU, Human Torch) making apologetic comments about a rapist because his victim was inebriated. Coercion is still coercion, even if (and, really, especially when) the person on the receiving end has their judgment compromised by alcohol, pot, coke or whatever the drug of choice happens to be. The GGW formula is revolting, and I'm delighted to see Francis getting a little (richly deserved) bad publicity for a change, instead of just the "gee, those girls sure are slutty."

[Human Torch]

29. An 80 year old man porking 18 year old women makes my SKIN CRAWL.

It's not ""love"...

It's "fucking"...

And an 18 year old Viagra-fueled man fucking 18 year olds makes my SKIN CRAWL.

Hope I cleared that up for everyone.

:patriot:

[mongo]

37. And fucking is a problem because?

Francis is an asshole for sure. Bad to the girls, bad to his employees, bad business practices in the retail end of the business too.

But Damn, you have some problems too.

[Downtown Hound]

2. I once worked with a girl

that dumped beer on his head. It was weird. I hadn't seen her in several years, and then one night I happen to be watching COPS on TV, which was unusual in itself because I never watch COPS. And lo and behold, there's my former workmate, getting arrested at the COPS in Mardis Gras because she dumped beer all over the guy's head and ruined his camera. He kept trying to take pictures of her and her friends. I hope she didn't get in too much trouble. She ruined a pretty expensive camera and probably got slapped with a felony over it.

[Human Torch]

26. I have to be very careful with this...BUT...

...the women who get sucked into this scam simply do not know any better.

The reason I have to be careful is that I have been publicly attacked on DU for my "attitude toward women"...even though the people who attacked me were clueless.

There are people on DU who simply like to roam from thread to thread, bitch-slapping everyone in their path...REGARDLESS of the original post.

Let me say it plain and clear: I love and respect women. This "Girls Gone Wild" guy is a fucking ASSHOLE.

A-S-S-H-O-L-E. SCUMBAG, PRICK, NEANDERTHAL, MISOGYNIST ASSHOLE.

Anyone who wants to attack that, step forward now.

:patriot:

[Generic Brad]

36. You have been attacked here over this viewpoint?

Then it's official. The world has been turned upside down. How could anyone defend the "Girls Gone Wild" guy?

[mongo]

38. The women don't know any better....

Yeah, any event that GGW attends is usually publicized to the hilt.

They didn't know any better when they went to the club for GGW night...

[Dukkha]

16. doubt it will have a big affect

GGW generates so much revenue from peddling his sleaze the fine will unlikely be anything more than a business expense to him, much like corporate polluters paying fines and continuing illegally dumping wastes because it's more cost effective.

Seems the best way to go after him is petitioning the media he advertises through. Comedy central runs those ads constantly every night, even over more high brow programming like The Daily Show and The Cobert Report.
http://www.comedycentral.com/help/questionsCC.jhtml

[elperromagico]

27. Does that mean that damned infomercial won't be on any more?

Maybe he can write a book called Girls Gone Wild (They Don't Want You To Know About) and plug that instead. :eyes:

[Blue_Tires]

31. ugh....there goes the future governor of Calif.

i can see it happening now....

[Bucky]

32. okay, your post wins

[bullwinkle428]

33. At the very best, this guy is obviously a borderline pedophile...

...it sounds like there's plenty of evidence to suggest he's crossed the border more than once...

[Fox Mulder]

34. He should also be sent to prison.

[Oeditpus Rex]

39. Will $2.1 million even slow down this goat fucker?

Me + an Uzi + his balls = sweet.

[lost-in-nj]

40. Sleaze, fucking, bag

he should have it cut off....
or at least a Clockwork Orange....

lost