'Girls Gone Wild' Founder, Convicted Of Assault And False Imprisonment

[BainsBane]

"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.

Prosecutors said Francis took the women to his home and a dispute broke out when he tried to separate one from the other two, with Francis grabbing one of the women by the hair and throat and slammed her head into the floor."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/joe-francis-girls-gone-wild-founder-convicted-assault_n_3226730.html

[Electric Monk]

1. Wow, he seemed like such a class act who had nothing but the utmost respect for women!

[BainsBane]

2. Shocking, isn't it?

[pinboy3niner]

3. For the win, lol!

[freshwest]

13. Oh, yes, the very image of a gentleman! *snort*

[Lunacee_2013]

39. I know!

But seriously, is anyone surprised?

[Gravitycollapse]

4. How many lives has this unfettered piece of shit ruined? The gallows seems more appropriate

than prison.

[Dash87]

25. "Gallows Gone Wild?"

[freshwest]

5. Since when is an 'assault causing great bodily injury' just a 'misdemeanor'?

He needs five years locked up. I doubt he'll serve any time.

Since 'the district attorney declined to file felony charges' they didn't take an 'assault causing great bodily injury' seriously.

I hope she has recovered by now, but that injury may cause her trouble the rest of her life. Someone without a few million in the bank would have been sent up for felony assault.

What a disgusting, hateful POS.

[BainsBane]

6. I wondered about that too

and how does a misdemeanor qualify for 5 yrs in prison?

[Gravitycollapse]

7. It probably doesn't. He was convicted of multiple crimes. The 5 year claim...

is probably a product of some journalist adding up the highest possible prison terms for the various convictions.

[BainsBane]

8. which he won't get

[Gravitycollapse]

9. Nope. He'll probably get probation and fines.

[BainsBane]

10. but this should make civil lawsuits easier

I know he's already dealt with many. I don't really keep up on his activities. I just happened to come across this. His company went bankrupt, that much I know.

[Gravitycollapse]

14. His company filed for bankruptcy protection to avoid paying his victims.

I know. Such a great guy.

Like I said, the gallows seems more appropriate for such a vile human being.

[BainsBane]

15. I'm waiting for someone to come along

and tell us how he is enabling female sexual empowerment.

[Orrex]

21. I'll say one positive thing about Joe Francis:

He's a terrific litmus test

That is, anyone who doesn't think that Francis is a vile piece of shit is almost guaranteed to be a vile piece of shit him- or herself.

[freshwest]

32. Yup. Scumbags of a feather stick together. Wait, what is grouping of scumbags? Oh, yeah, the GOP.

As in: A GOP of Scumbags went to defend their own...

[freshwest]

11. I don't get it. Different states, I guess. I thought it went this way:

Any sentence of a year or less is served in jail and is not a felony.

A felony is more than a year and is served in prison.

Not an attorney...

[steve2470]

30. in florida it does

Misdemeanors = one year or less in county jail

Felonies = 366 days or more, in state prison

[freshwest]

31. Since they refused to charge him with a felony, I'll bet it'll be probation or less than a year. Ugh

[Trajan]

16. This is perhaps the worse thing I have ever read in DU

Please delete it ...

[CincyDem]

17. I don't get it.

Rich white guy kidnaps a couple girls and assaults one of them = misdemeanor charges.

Not rich African American girl blows the top off a water bottle = 2 felony charges.

He ends up with a "funny" story to tell his buds around the campfire with some beers.

She ends up having her curiosity and sense of wondering about science ruined for life.

Yeah - that sounds fair.

[BainsBane]

23. excellent point

[Orrex]

24. Well, on the plus side

At least Francis the talking jackass didn't try to build and detonate an explosive device on school property.

[DCBob]

18. I hope his stupid business goes bankrupt.

incredible demeaning to women.

[NCTraveler]

22. I believe his business has already gone bankrupt.

They are currently in court working on the details.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/02/joe-francis-girls-gone-wild-bankrupt/

[BainsBane]

33. he already has declared bankruptcy

to protect himself against civil judgment, I gather.

[Orrex]

19. How could this paragon of virtuous capitalism do such a thing?

And why the hell wasn't he in jail long before this?

[sufrommich]

20. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Glad to see him

end up where he belongs.

[Blue Owl]

26. POS douchebag

Can't say I'm all that unhappy he got what he deserved!

[ismnotwasm]

27. Saw that, thought 'good'

What an ass of asses. Ugh.

[bullwinkle428]

28. Who didn't know this guy was an incredibly vile low-life asshole

at least a dozen years ago?

And yes, the very idea that this crime could be labeled as a misdemeanor is utterly puke-inducing.

[Lint Head]

29. The most disturbing thing about this are the number of people who bought his crap and made him rich.

He's a cretin.

[nomorenomore08]

34. Yeah, even if the guy wasn't a complete piece of shit, what's the point of those videos?

Far as I can tell - having only seen the commercials - the content isn't much more explicit than your average R-rated movie. I mean, if you want to get off, why not watch actual porno? Not humiliating enough to the participants, is that it?

[Lint Head]

35. With porno you 'usually' have adults who know what they are getting into. Young girls who want

to do something exciting and are slightly naive, possibly drunk and vulnerable marks seem to be what their cynical business model is.
Getting girls drunk and partying is what has led to some rather despicable recent headlines.

[nomorenomore08]

36. So then I guess I was right: "Not humiliating enough to the participants, is that it?"

[Lint Head]

37. I don't know the mind of a person who does porno as a living. So I do not know if they

feel personal humiliation. Anecdotally, porno is exploitation but people who I've met who have actually 'done' porno do not feel taken advantage of or humiliated. I'm sure it can be for people who get into porno as a last resort or forced into it.

[nomorenomore08]

38. I guess I was thinking more of the viewer's perceptions than anything.

Since the whole premise of "GGW" is young women/girls - "legal" but the younger the better - doing embarrassing things, which they'll presumably regret later, on camera. And since, to my knowledge, there's no actual intercourse/other full-on sex acts depicted, I assume the point (for the viewer) isn't so much sexual arousal, as it is reveling in that embarrassment and anticipated regret.

I hope that explains my meaning a little more clearly.