LAS VEGAS — Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis has been exonerated on criminal charges stemming from allegations of a gambling debt he allegedly incurred while at the Wynn Resort in 2007.
Girls Gone Wild spokeswoman Meghan Haffrey told XBIZ that "it's true, the judge has dropped the case."
"Steve Wynn put pressure on the Las Vegas District Attorney’s office to file criminal charges against Francis in a civil dispute over a bogus gambling debt that Francis has denied owing from the beginning," a press release issued by Girls Gone Wild Wednesday evening read. "Today, District Court Judge Linda Marie Bell threw the case out of court after finding absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing on Francis’s part."
Francis said he has maintained his innocence over an alleged $2 million unpaid gambling debt from the start.
“I think it was disgusting that Steve Wynn attempted to manipulate banking records to try to make this a criminal case," Francis said in the release. "Believe me, I will do everything legally possible to make sure justice is served in this matter and that I am compensated for the damage that these false charges have caused to my reputation.”
Francis' attorney David R. Houston of Reno was unavailable for XBIZ comment at post time.