MoviesByMail.com Owners Charged With 6 Obscenity Counts

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Two owners of online adult retailer MoviesByMail.com accused early this month of violating obscenity law have been formally charged with six counts of distributing obscene materials, three via the Internet and three via the U.S. Postal Service.

If convicted, Sami R. Harb and Michael Harb of Cleveland could face up to five years in prison for each count. The two are expected in court July 12.

The investigation into the duo's online enterprise began in August when the FBI's Adult Obscenity Task Force received a tip that the website was selling alleged obscene DVDs. In March, FBI agents placed an order for "Max Hardcore: Pure Max 18," Max Hardcore: Extreme 12" and Extreme Associates' "Cocktails 5" and had them shipped to Utah.

Just days before the two were arrested, Hardcore himself was indicted on 10 counts of federal obscenity. He is to appear in California court July 12.

Sami Harb told XBIZ that it was hardly a coincidence that the titles used against him happen to be from a company already under indictment.

"That was convenient, wasn't it?" Harb said. "No one gets that lucky. It's [the government] flexing its muscles, showing the conservatives and Republicans that they're doing something."

According to U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman, these movies have no artistic value.

"The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys' Offices nationwide have stepped up the prosecution of obscenity cases, as evidence increases of the harm of obscenity to American children and families," Tolman said. "As obscene materials continue to proliferate, they are becoming more accessible for the young and the innocent among us. At the same time they are becoming more extreme and degrading in content and present a growing threat to the wellbeing of American families and our society as a whole."

According to court documents, MoviesByMail.com distributed 683 packages to Utah addresses in 2006.

"That tells me somebody there wanted them," Harb said.

Harb also said he doesn't expect to go to prison.

"I don't think it'll get to that point," he said. "I don't think that's [the government's] intention — it's always been their intention to put people like us out of business. I guess the people who want to buy [adult movies] don't count."

Copyright © 2025 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

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

Show More