While directing for Devils Film under the name Clayton Blacquemoor, police raided Salaff’s shoot and apprehended him on a variety of charges. Salaff languished in jail for more than seven months before being released on parole.
Officials charged Salaff, his corporate entity, Rio Bueno Ltd. SA, and an associate with pressuring prostitutes to perform in the production, neglecting to file the proper paperwork to film an adult movie and failing to take adequate measures to prevent minors from being exposed to sexual activity after children climbed a 10-foot wall to peek in Salaff’s property during filming.
All charges but the last were dropped when Salaff’s lawyer, Eugenio Morice, proved them to be false. Morice has spent the past several months trying to get the final charge wiped out.
Salaff currently is on countrywide house arrest and is barred from seeking employment until his case is settled. His wife, a Cuban national, was not granted a visa to visit her husband while he awaits trial in Panama.
“We finally have a date in court,” Salaff posted on his website, FredSalaff.com. “This drama is overlong and drawn out for no reason other than it is typical of Panamanian justice. Stefano Simone and I did seven months of very horrible jail time because children trespassed on a neighbor’s property. I am inviting the world press to attend the preliminary trial to witness Panamanian justice first hand.”
Since his arrest, Salaff has denied all of the charges, claiming that a corrupt prosecutor targeted him. In an interesting twist, the prosecutor was, in fact, arrested on corruption charges the day after Salaff’s release and sent to the same prison where Salaff had been confined.
Salaff’s ordeal is far from over. He owes tens of thousands in legal fees and has lingering health problems due to the prison’s unsanitary conditions and his inability to receive medications on a regular basis while incarcerated. His friends have set up a website for his legal defense, which links to a special PayPal account.
