'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis Robbed, Bound By Armed Men In Mexico

"Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis became known to many after the 1997 creation of the franchise, but now he is back in the news again. This time, for something very different.

On Oct. 16, at least four men reportedly broke into a neighbor's "beachfront mansion" that Francis was visiting at the time and demanded that the 20 people at the Punta Mita residence hand over their money, including the 46-year-old entrepreneur.

Sources revealed that those who allegedly carried out the robbery did so by tying Francis and the others up with wire before obtaining the cash. According to TMZ, the men also threatened to take hostages and were armed. The gunmen then allegedly fled the area after getting into an altercation with neighborhood security.

Reportedly, law enforcement initially went to the home after receiving an anonymous call from a neighbor that stated four suspicious-looking people had gone inside the residence. At that time, two patrol cars with armed officers went sent to the scene, resulting in the perpetrators running away.

Insiders also stated that military personnel responded to the location and eventually discovered "discarded guns and masks" at a nearby property. After police arrived, the victims of the crime confirmed that they believed the robbers had ultimately planned to kidnap them.

This is not the first time that Francis has found himself involved in a robbery in some capacity. In 2004, a man broke into his home and "filmed a humiliating blackmail video and arranged for payment so that the video didn't go viral."

Riley Perez, the man responsible for the crime, was arrested in the following year, but claimed he had only acted in such a way because he had been working for crime boss Matty "The Horse" Ianniello.

"I was asked to rough him up," Riley told Page Six in 2018, adding, "I worked with guys, if they told you to do something, you didn't ask questions." Perez eventually pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted extortion, which allowed burglary, kidnapping for ransom, and carjacking charges to be dropped. Ultimately, he served nine years in prison.

As for the recent crime in Mexico, one of the four responsible has been apprehended, but it remains unclear if any arrests have been made at this time. For his part, Francis has remained silent as of press time regarding the recent events.