Joseph R. Francis (born April 1, 1973) is an American film producer and producer. He is known as the founder and creator of the entertainment brand Girls Gone Wild. Francis worked as a production assistant on the Real TV syndication program before releasing the live movie to Banned from Television in 1998.
Francis has, at various times, been guilty of tax evasion, bribery, false imprisonment, assaults that result in major physical injuries, the denunciation of a witness, the recording of offenses, and not pleading on child abuse and prostitution.
Video Joe Francis
Biography
Francis was born on April 1, 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia to Raymond Francis, and Maria Francis, who came from Austria. According to Francis, when he was seven years old, the family moved to Newport Beach, California, where he attended Catholic School of Our Lady Queen of Angels, and then a series of boarding schools. He then lived in Laguna Beach and attended Laguna Beach High School. His first job was in computer and video stores.
Francis attended the University of Southern California Business Administration program, concentrating his education at the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. He also took several courses in film and television, graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor degree from the USC Entrepreneurship Program.
Maps Joe Francis
Business enterprise
Banned from Television
Francis's first business venture began when he worked as a production assistant for Real TV, a reality television program that aired excerpts of extraordinary events not usually covered in the headlines. That's where Francis came up with the idea for Banned from Television . While on Real TV, the people who work in the studio often see footage involving car accidents, attacks, and other graphical events. Francis licensed the footage he later sold on the Banned of Television video that he sold in pay-TV ads. The first film Banned from Television was released in 1998, followed by two sequels also released in the same year. Some of the more famous records included in the series are: the recording of the murder of Luis Donaldo Colosio, Tyke's circus elephant rampage, the execution of Roberto GirÃÆ'³n and Pedro Castillo, the Royal Jomtien Resort Hotel fire footage and the death of Mary T. Wojtyla, a woman who was hit by a fast train in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Other recordings include: the murder of Pete Shrum, the murder of Charles Blankenship, the murder of Lea Mek, the attempted suicide of Terry Rossland, the execution of Rodolfo Hernandez burned alive, the tape of the hostage crisis of 1998, the 1990 video record Lucas Oil 200 (ARCA) race in which Slick Johnson was killed and paramedic Mike Staley was injured, and the deaths of motor action riders Corey Scott and Butch Laswell. Due to the film's graphic content, Francis stopped the series after three movies, because he found it too annoying to watch it again. Upon viewing the footage to be included in Banned from Television , Francis found a videotape of female students showing off their breasts during Mardi Gras and spring break. It was this tape that sparked Francis's next business venture with Girls Gone Wild.
Girls Gone Wild
Joe Francis created the Girls Gone Wild franchise in 1997 when he began using direct response marketing, like infomercials, to sell the videos he produced. The videos are college-age women who willingly expose their bodies or act wildly in front of the camera. In the first two years, Girls Gone Wild earned more than $ 20 million. In 2002, Francis had produced 83 different Girls Gone Wild titles and aired 30 minute infomercials on all major US networks. In 2005, the company plans to donate 100% of the gross sales of their Mardi Gras-themed DVDs to the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Journalist Claire Hoffman profiled Francis on the Los Angeles Times in the first-hand accounts of Francis and the Gone Wild Girl crew.
Abbey Wilson, who won the Girls Gone Wild contest ' s "Search for the Hottest Girl in America" ​​in 2012, became Francis's long-term girlfriend. In 2013 his iPad, containing personal sexual videos of Francis and Wilson, was stolen. In retaliation, and to close the distribution of the video before being sold to any media, attorney Francis David Houston threatened, "when we arrest you, we will see that you are fully charged of criminal and civil law." In 2014 Wilson became pregnant twins through inner fertilization vitro. On October 7, 2014, Wilson gave birth to two girls.
Legal issues
Civil
In June 2007, Ashley Alexandra Duprà ©  © alleged that Francis and his company filmed it without permission, but he dismissed the lawsuit after Francis released a recording showing his approval.
In 2008, four women sued Girls Gone Wild for allegedly recording them as minors. Francis represented himself as part of the trial, until the judge honored him for insulting the court and fined him $ 2,500 for asking the plaintiff during a cross examination if he was a prostitute. Francis hired two lawyers on the same day to represent him during his trial. Francis finally begged no contest for child abuse and the cost of prostitution.
In February 2012, Clark County, Nevada judge Mark Denton awarded Steve Wynn $ 7,500,000 for a slanderous statement made by Francis. In September 2012, the jury awarded Steve Wynn $ 20 million in slander against Joe Francis for claiming that Wynn threatened to kill him for gambling debt. Witness Francis all denied hearing Wynn make such a threat. The jury added $ 20 million in compensation. In November 2012, Judge Joanne O'Donnell reduced Steve Wynn's award for $ 21 million to $ 19 million. O'Donnell reasoned that the jury award was "speculative," and based on their dislike of Francis.
Criminal
Status
In 2003 in Panama City Beach, Florida, officials tried to stop Girls Gone Wild from filming. Francis sued officials for violating First Amendment rights. The same official arrested Francis for blackmail. He was released with a bond. At a hearing in July 2006, the judge did not provide the bulk of the evidence and in January 2007 fired most of the allegations. Francis pleaded guilty to record offenses, fined $ 1.6 million and sentenced for community service. Francis pleaded guilty to smuggling in his cell. He served 339 days and paid a $ 60,000 fine.
In January 2011, Francis brought a group of three women to his home, which resulted in five counts, three false criminal offenses, one of the attacks that caused major physical injuries, and one that blocked a witness. On May 6, 2013, Francis was sentenced to five charges. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $ 13,000 fine. On May 22, 2013, Francis conducted an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , calling the jury "mentally... retarded" and suggested they "have to be euthanasia." He then apologized for his statement, but stated that he had been manipulated by the media.
On August 27, 2013, Francis was sentenced to serve at least 270 days in the county prison, a probation period of 36 months, and was ordered to complete the Level 3 Anger Management course and one year of psychological counseling. Lawyer Francis immediately petitioned a new court.
Federal
In April 2007, in Reno, Nevada Francis was charged by the jury for two tax evasion. The Justice Department alleges that Francis claimed more than $ 20 million with fake deductions on his company's return in 2002 and 2003.
In April 2008, the courtroom was changed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. At a hearing in July 2008, Francis pleaded not guilty to tax evasion. Francis's lawyer, Robert Bernhoft, said that the tax return for business was prepared and filed by the former accountant and not shown to Francis. Bernhoft says that when an accountant leaves the company, the accountant reports a return to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect the bonus from the Tax Disclosure Program.
In September 2009, Francis pleaded guilty to allegations of infringement in filing wrong returns and bribery. He received credit for the time it was served. In November 2009, US District Judge S. James Otero accepted the petition of Francis including $ 250,000 in damages to the IRS.
Bankruptcy
His company, GGW Brands and parent company for the entertainment brand Girls Gone Wild filed for bankruptcy in February 2013. The bankruptcy was intended to block Wynn Resorts from seizing corporate assets for the repayment of Francis gambling debts.
In May 2015, a US District Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Francis after he failed to comply with the terms of his bankruptcy agreement. By 2015 he is reportedly living in Mexico with his girlfriend and their twin daughters. The extradition treaty between the US and Mexico does not apply to civilian defamation warrants.
See also
Casa Aramara (plantation in Punta Mita, Mexico, built by Francis.)
References
External links
- Official website
- Joe Francis at IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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