Joe Francis, the renegade 34-year-old CEO and founder of the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ brand, is launching an affiliate program where webmasters can net some revenue by directing traffic to the GirlsGoneWild.cash, and what’s more, they don’t even have to flash any boobage.
The site is already creating plenty of arousal as traffic for Girls Gone Wild sites continues to grow. “This is a great opportunity for us all,” said Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis. “The Girls Gone Wild cash program allows our affiliates to participate in the fun and excitement of America’s favorite lifestyle brand.”
Girls Gone Wild has suffered from numerous lawsuits and feminist attacks for depicting under age girls in videos and DVDs, but most of these cases seem to be settled out of court.
In December of 2006 Mantra films was ordered to pay $1.6 million in criminal fines for failure to keep and maintain names and records of the ‘girls’ in the films produced. Besides, with estimated revenues in excess of $100 million a year for parent company Mantra Films, that is like giving the government a a nice tip, and it doesn’t seem to slow down the frenzy to get the latest gone-wild skin flick. Joe Francis also pulls in way more than just college girls–something in the region of $29 million.
On March 19, 2008, Girls Gone Wild offered video of Ashley Dupré, the call girl connected with the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, on its website, which the company had discovered in its archives. Dupré’s lawyer said that Dupré was only 17 at the time the footage was taken.
“All nude images of Ms. Dupré were taken in public places and contain no sexual contact. In Florida, where Ms. Dupré was filmed, the law allows even women under the age of 18 to be filmed nude with their consent,” company founder Mr. Francis said.
Not everything though is peachy for Francis as he’s been skating on rather thin ice lately. This time from the courts in LA. In January last year Mantra films suffered a three-year deferred prosecution agreement, wherein MRA holdings has to employ a third party monitor to ensure compliance with the law. In another series of suits, this time from Florida, also in January 2007, the majority of charges were dropped because the evidence did not support the allegations. However, the remaining felony counts charge that Mr. Francis and the company used minors in sexual performances. Charges could carry a combined sentence of 40 years in the clink. Two other counts charge Francis and the company with prostitution.
That’s quite a stretch, Joe. I hope you have an exit strategy, maybe that DVD will be titled: “Bubba in the Big House, Gone Wild.”