Girls Gone Tax Evasion
Girls Gone Wild is the soft porn empire of one Joe Francis, a man who has been arrested for just about everything. His latest case involves tax evasion claims and had a predicable ending.
Joe Francis is a self-made man, if in a less than stellar industry. The USC graduate wanted to get into mainstream video work, but soon found a more profitable venture in a more risky area. He makes videos at public events of girls whipping off their tops and such. Most people know of his empire by the brand name “Girls Gone Wild.” It has made him rich which has, of course, led to all kinds of problems with the law.
What do you do when you are making millions upon millions off of your soft porn empire? You try to hide some of the money if you are an idiot. In the case of Joe Francis, he failed to report $500,000 in interest income. While federal tax evasion charges were filed, the case fell apart when it became apparent some of the witnesses were less than reliable and forthcoming on all the relevant information in the case.
This case was a rare one for Francis. How so? Well, he actually did jail time. He sat in the “grey motel” for a whopping 301 days during which he was nailed for something that can only be described as hilarious. Apparently, he didn’t care for the standard food being provided. To remedy this, he bribed jail workers to bring him better food, often giving them $5,000 to do so. Since you are reading this, you know he got caught on that one as well.
So, what ended up happening in this case? Well, Francis was given time served for the 301 days he spent in the pokie. He was then ordered to pay $250,000 to the IRS in back taxes.