LOS ANGELES — Fetish filmmaker Ira Isaacs was arraigned earlier this week on five new felony obscenity counts for videos allegedly distributed as recent as last month.
Isaacs told XBIZ that he pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the superseding indictment this week and that he'll be due back at federal court in Los Angeles for a June 13 status hearing. Isaacs at the arraignment was released on bond.
The new federal indictments, which join three older ones, allege that Isaacs, through his Stolen Car Films and LA Media companies, distributed by mail "Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 7," "Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 10," "Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 38," "Trailers" and "Japanese Doggie 3 Way" — all deemed "obscene matter" by federal prosecutors.
The films were allegedly mailed by Isaacs' companies to consumers between January and the first week of April.
With the new indictments U.S. Judge George King vacated all scheduled trial dates.
Isaacs originally was charged in 2007 with federal obscenity violations over the mail distribution of “Gang Bang Horse — ‘Pony Sex Game’” and “Mako’s First Time Scat,” as well as “Hollywood Scat Amateurs No. 7.”
But his 2008 trial was put on hold after the recusal of Judge Alex Kozinski, who recused himself after public controversy surrounded his involvement in this case. During Isaacs's 2008 prosecution, the Los Angeles Times broke a story that Kozinski had been maintaining a website that showed pornographic images.
Kozinski, a judicial conservative and noted advocate of free speech, admitted to the Times that he was aware of the material on his site but later shifted partial responsibility for the images to his adult son.
