the xlog : x-rated weblog

Mantra Entertainment owner Joe Francis, who operates the Girls Gone Wild franchise, won a victory in a Florida court after a judge decided that hundreds of hours of videotape seized by deputies in a 2003 search of Francis’ Miami condominium cannot be used against him.

Circuit Judge Dedee Costello granted a defense motion to suppress all evidence gathered during the search after two girls claimed that Francis shot footage of them during spring break in Florida when they were only 17 years old for the “Girls Gone Wild” video and DVD series. Costello reportedly tossed the videotape evidence from the case because it was not specified in the search warrant when police raided Francis’ home. More than 700 items were taken from Francis’ residence – an untold amount of which were videotapes that are no longer of use to the prosecution and could significantly weaken the case against him.

Francis also faces charges of racketeering related to prostitution and possession of illegal substances. If convicted, he could face prison time. Lead attorney Steve Meadows told the Panama City News Herald that the prosecution would have to wait until the order from Costello was finalized before they could assess how to proceed with the case. Francis’ defense attorney claims the search and seizure of his property “was part of a pre-planned contrived effort on the part of law enforcement” to put Francis out of business. The case is set for trial this year.

Since founding the “Girls Gone Wild” video and brand name, Francis has faced several other allegations of filming underage girls in his videos. Many of Francis’ critics have charged that the producer and his employees deliberately try and film underage girls, although Francis has repeatedly countered that very often the girls lie about their ages in order to get on camera.