RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Eight U.S. men who operated www.brazilbang.com were arrested in Rio de Janeiro on charges of hiring prostitutes to shoot pornographic films after one of the women complained to authorities that she had been underpaid, police said on Wednesday.

The men were arrested in a luxurious house in the Sao Conrado beachside neighborhood of the Brazilian city on Tuesday night. Police said they found six local prostitutes wearing bikinis as well as video cameras and equipment in the house.

“Although the cameras were not on at the moment of the arrest, we consider they were caught in the act,” police investigator Marcus Neves told Reuters.

Several pornographic tapes made in Rio were confiscated.

“They are talking to us and have already said they were making so-called amateur videos that are in good demand on the U.S. market for that sort of video production,” Neves said.

The men, aged between 24 and 38, have told police they were planning to sell the films for up to $40,000 and were paying the women $130 per scene, he said.

Prostitution is legal in Brazil and making porn films is not unlawful. But it is a crime to exploit prostitutes.

“They were contracting prostitutes to make money out of it. This favors prostitution and is a crime, punishable by a jail term of between two and five years plus fines,” Neves said.

Two Brazilian women in the house also face similar charges.