Monday, April 23, 2007

A Teary Joe Francis Sentenced to Jail for Contempt

Joe Francis, founder of the Girls Gone Wild, pleaded guilty to contempt of court Monday and was sentenced to 35 days in a Florida jail.

Party boy Francis fought the tears back as he was sentenced. Heh.

"Joe has changed in the past few months," says his attorney, Jan Handzlik. "He has changed from someone who was disdainful of the system to someone who recognizes that he has to play by the same rules as the rest of us. He has put a lot of his foolish behavior behind him."

Francis, 34, was charged with contempt after he wigged out and started swearing during negotiations to settle a lawsuit filed by seven women who were minors when they were filmed for one of his videos.

U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak in Panama City, Fla., ordered Francis to settle or face a contempt charge. After talks collapsed, Francis berated Smoak in the media, saying he was a "judge gone wild."

Francis was ordered to surrender April 5 to begin serving jail time for contempt, but he never showed. He was arrested at the airport five days later as he was on his way to turn himself in.

Francis said in court, "I am sorry for my behavior. It was wrong. I had heard about appeals and things and I was confused. I am sorry, I really am."

Francis claims the women suing him lied about their ages, has since reached a settlement.

A federal grand jury in Reno has also indicted Francis on charges of tax evasion.

Source: People

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