If there’s a Girls Gone Wild 2008 Spring Break Edition, Joe Francis won’t be closely involved. The mega-rich, mega-troubled founder of the Girls Gone Wild empire will likely remain in jail until April 29, since his trial for tax evasion charges has been postponed. The trial was originally scheduled to begin today.
He has not been allowed bail in Nevada because he still faces six felony counts including prostitution, conspiracy and using minors in a sexual performance in 2003. And as if things couldn’t get worse for the millionaire who apparently feels a wee bit inconvenienced by the law, he is facing two charges of transporting contraband into a jail cell while he was locked up for 35 days in April on contempt charges.
The postponement in Francis’ trial was the result of a request by the “entrepreneur” to allow his accountants more time to sort out the mess that is his empire. Francis has been charged with a laundry list of charges including improperly deducting more than $20 million expenses from his 2002 and 2003 corporate tax returns and hiding millions more in revenue in offshore accounts (sometimes in the names of other people). It is not illegal to have offshore accounts but the revenue must be reported, which the feds allege Francis went to great lengths to avoid. If convicted, Francis faces up to ten years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Francis’ attorney, David Houston, said that Francis’ indictment on tax evasion charges is a result of a complaint mounted by a disgruntled employee. I’m sure that he has excuses for the drugs and other felony charges, too. More angry ex-employees?
