"Girls Gone Wild" pornographer faces 10 years in prison

I asked not long ago why guys suspected of dowloading child pornography end up in jail yet Joe Francis, who is actually making the porn (allegedly by not knowing some of the girls were 15 years old) or by using it as a marketing metaphor (young nubile girls wild with sex), gets scot free.

Well, he may not have gotten nailed for child pornography and sexual assault but he got nailed by tax evasion --and faces 10 years in prison if found guilty :

The indictment of 34-year-old Joe Francis Wednesday follows his arrest by federal marshals Tuesday on a contempt-of-court citation stemming from a civil case in Florida, where he is being held without bail, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Wednesday's charges alleged that Francis deducted more than $20 million in false business expenses on corporate income tax returns filed in 2002 and 2003 by two of his companies, Mantra Films Inc. of Santa Monica and Sands Media Inc. of Nevada. The charges were revealed in press releases issued by the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service.

According to the L.A. Times, the alleged improper deductions included $3.78 million that was counted as a business cost when it was actually spent to build a residence in Punta Mita, Mexico. In addition, $10.4 million in "false consulting services" was deducted, as was a $500,000 false insurance expense, according to the indictment cited by The Times.

The indictment also alleged that Francis used offshore bank accounts to conceal income earned in 2002 and 2003, The Times reported.

Authorities said Francis could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He's also subject to fines of up to $500,000.

This is definitely turning out to be a rather interesting week what with Don Imus being fired, the Duke Lacrosse being exonerated and now Joe Francis being thrown in prison. Wow. What does it all mean?

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