Dupre has been identified as the call girl in the recent sex scandal involving the former N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
"It'll save me a million bucks," Francis said Tuesday. "It's kind of like finding a winning lottery ticket in the cushions of your couch."
Before the footage was found, Francis was in negotiations with Dupre with an offer of $1 million to appear in a non-nude photo feature for his new magazine and a chance to join the "Girls Gone Wild" tour bus. The magazine is set to debut April 15.
"We actually had been dealing with her rep," he said. "Our [offer] was the real deal. We just never made the connection."
Dupre's attorney, Don D. Buchwald, declined comment when contacted by reporters.
According to a "Girls Gone Wild" press release, Dupre visited Miami for her 18th birthday in 2003. After a fight with a friend — and getting thrown out of her hotel — Dupre found the "Girls Gone Wild" bus, signed legal release papers and spent a full week on the bus, appearing in seven full-length tapes that include nudity and same-sex encounters, according to the company.
"I personally ended up buying her a Greyhound bus ticket back home to North Carolina," Francis said.
Dupre’s Miami videos are on the Girls Gone Wild subscription website.
