LOS ANGELES — Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis was sentenced to 270 days in jail, 36 months of probation, a Level 3 Anger Management Course and one year of psychological counseling today by a Los Angeles court.
Francis was found guilty in May of three counts of false imprisonment, one count of assault and one other misdemeanor after three women accused him of luring them to his Hollywood home after a night on the town and refusing to let them leave. One woman alleged Francis choked her and slammed her head onto his tiled floor.
During today’s trial, Francis denied the claim, explaining that he has no tile flooring in his house.
The sentencing has been held over for several months because Francis had filed for a new trial after his conviction on grounds of insufficient evidence. That motion was denied today.
Following his initial trial, he also issued a derogatory statement about the jury to the Hollywood Reporter calling them “retarded” and insisting that they “should be shot dead.” The statement was read aloud by the plaintiffs’ attorney today.
“That’s his true feelings to the case, he has no remorse,” the prosecutor said after reading Francis' words. “He is a violent individual who can’t control himself and he is a danger to this community.”
Francis told the judge he understood the charges and was informed that if he failed to show up to follow-up hearings, the court’s “disposition could change” and his sentence could be reverted to the maximum — several years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.
“Thank you your honor. I just want to thank you for your time,” Francis said quietly before the court adjourned.
Francis was accompanied to the trial by his girlfriend Abbey Wilson.
