LOS ANGELES – Girls Gone Wild producer and serial tabloid headline grabber Joe Francis pleaded guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanor counts of filing false tax returns, thereby avoiding additional jail time and bringing a years-long legal odyssey (emphasis on “odd”) to an end.Francis also entered a guilty plea to one count of bribing jail workers with $5,000 in goods while he was incarcerated in Washoe County, Nevada, from June 2007 through March 2008.
Under the court-approved plea deal, Francis will pay $250,000 in restitution and the government will be satisfied with the 301 days he already has spent in jail. In addition, Francis will be under supervised release for one year. U.S. District Judge S. James Otero set formal sentencing for Nov. 6.
A grand jury indicted Francis on federal tax evasion charges in 2007. Prosecutors alleged Francis’ 2002 and 2003 tax returns included more than $20 million in fraudulent deductions including write-offs for a Porsche and a Mexican estate where he entertained celebrities. Court documents indicate Francis admitted only an omission from his 2003 return of about $563,000 in interest income. Whether he must pay additional taxes, interest and penalties will be worked out in an administrative forum or civil court, according to the plea agreement.
“I’m happy to finally be able to redirect my attention to the business at hand, which is to provide quality entertainment for our millions of fans around the world,” Francis said in a prepared statement.
