Girls Gone Wild's Joe Francis Pleads Guilty To Tax Charges; Pays Fine
Sep. 25 2009, Published 9:01 a.m. ET
Joe Francis has made millions getting drunk young ladies to remove their tops; now, he's the one losing his shirt.
The Girls Gone Wild entrepreneur paid $250,000 in restitution after pleading guilty plea to filing false tax returns. Francis avoided a potential jail sentence when he copped a plea Wednesday to two misdemeanor counts of filing false tax returns, and one count of bribing Nevada jail workers in exchange for food.
Read More Details About The Case
He subsequently said in a statement he was "happy to finally be able to redirect his attention to the business at hand, which is to provide quality entertainment for ... millions of fans around the world."
Joe Francis Attends Lamar Odom's Bachelor Party
Francis' problems with the taxman may be behind him (for now), but he's also got more legal woes on his hands involving Playboy playmate Jayde Nicole. The Canadian cutie sued Francis Thursday for $1 million, in connection with a fight the two had at West Hollywood nightspot Guys & Dolls Aug. 28.
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Read Eyewitness Account Of Jayde Nicole Attack
Nicole, the 23-year-old girlfriend of The Hills beefcake Brody Jenner, said in the civil suit filed that Francis was drunk when he pulled her hair shoved her and threw her to the ground "like a rag doll." According to the court document, she said that as a result of the Francis attack, she suffered a black eye, swollen face, ripped-out hair, and bruises to her ribs, arms and legs. She said the attack caused her utter emotional distress, humiliation and permanent disability.
Read about Brody Jenner's Meeting with Police Over Joe Francis Incident
Ronald Richards, Jayde Nicole's attorney, told RadarOnline.com: "Jayde filed this lawsuit against Mr. Francis because she wants to expose his exploits of women through his films and violence. Francis keeps calling my client a liar, yet the surveillance tape says something else. My client didn't flee the scene like Francis did."