FBI Agents Raid HotMovies' Offices

PHILADELPHIA — HotMovies' company headquarters were raided Wednesday morning by more than 100 law enforcement agents from the FBI and local police.

"They expect the search to take the remainder of today," said James Cybert, HotMovies director of business development.

Cybert cynically characterized the raid as a "beautiful day in the neighborhood" on Facebook.

The FBI agents were armed with search warrants and more than 100 employees were detained and later released.

FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver told XBIZ that agents are still at the company's offices in Philadelphia.

"No one is in custody," Klaver said. "There have been no [federal] indictments filed."

Klaver would provide no other details. Philadelphia police told XBIZ that the raid was orchestrated by the FBI.

It's the second raid performed on an online adult company this year by federal authorities.

Earlier this year, federal prosecutors raided the offices of Pittsburgh-based Right Ascension, which operates AdultDVDEmpire.com. The company was indicted on obscenity charges after mailing four DVDs containing material deemed obscene to an Erie, Pa., post office box in May 2007.

Right Ascension eventually paid a $75,000 fine and was placed on two years’ probation.

National A-1, which uses MovieDollars.com as the hub for its affiliate program, operates scores of adult websites, including Clips.com, FetishMovies.com, HotMoviesForHer.com, BigBreasts.com, BDSMvod.com, ClassicVOD.com, CuckoldsVOD.com, GayHotClips.com, FetishClips.com, HentaiVOD.com, HomeGrownVOD.com, JapanHotMovies.com, TVTSvod.com, Perverts.com, RealLesbianVOD.com, GayHotMovies.com, GayMovies.com, Spanking.com, TabooVOD.com, Torture.com, VintageMovies.com, VODAfterDark.com, AVNVOD.com, CoedsVOD.com, GroobyVOD.com, ElegantAngelVOD.com, EdPowersVOD.com, BuckAngelVOD.com, Channel69.com, ExtremeVOD.com, HomeGrownVOD.com, NettlesVOD.com, RascalVOD.com, VideoXPixVOD.com.

VOD.com and IndependentVOD.com, as well as HotMovies.com. The company also owns and operates numerous mainstream sites.

Parent company National A-1 Advertising's sites, including HotMovies.com, were down for most of the day, but as of 4 p.m. (PST) the sites are back up.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Seoul Authorities Force Cancellation of Adult Expo for 'Distorting Perceptions of Sex'

Seoul authorities repeatedly prevented 2024 KXF The Fashion — a popular Korean adult industry expo featuring Japanese AV performers — scheduled for this week from finding a suitable venue, leading organizers to cancel the event.

FSC to Hold Discussion on Adult Industry Rights With Congressional Candidate Joe Cohn

Free Speech Coalition will hold a virtual discussion with Joe Cohn, a strong advocate for the adult industry’s rights who is running for Congress in November.

Sophie Dee, Ricky Johnson to Deliver 'XBIZ Talks' at Miami Conference

XBIZ is pleased to announce that Sophie Dee and Ricky Johnson will each deliver an “XBIZ Talk” at next month’s XBIZ Miami conference

FSC to Host Webinar on Derisking and the Adult Industry

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is hosting a webinar on derisking, titled "Derisking: Examining Its Impact on the Adult Industry's Access to Banking," on April 24 at 11 a.m. (PDT).

Democratic Governor Fails to Veto Kansas Age Verification Bill

Kansas’ Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, expressed strong reservations about the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, but ultimately decided not to veto it, allowing the legislation to become law by default without her signature.

FSC's Alison Boden Testifies Against California Age Verification Bill, Urges Action to Defeat It

Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Alison Boden testified Tuesday against AB 3080, California’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

Phoenix Marie Sues Aylo, Danny D Over Incident on Digital Playground Set

Phoenix Marie has filed a lawsuit against Aylo, performer/producer Danny D and other defendants, alleging she has suffered defamation and damage to her career over a 2023 incident on a Digital Playground set in Spain.

New Premium Creator Platform 'Lemon Social' Launches

Premium creator platform Lemon Social has debuted.

Atlanta Authorities Renew Attack on Adult Boutique Tokyo Valentino

The saga of beleaguered Georgia adult boutique Tokyo Valentino continues with a renewed attempt by authorities to shut down another of its locations.

MomPOV Producer Pleads Guilty in GirlsDoPorn Case

MomPOV producer Doug Wiederhold, who was formerly the partner of GirlsDoPorn owner Michael Pratt as well as the first male talent for GDP, pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal conspiracy charge.

Show More