'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis Sentenced To 270 Days In Jail For Assault, False Imprisonment
“Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis has been sentenced to 270 days in jail and nearly three years of probation for charges stemming from an incident at his Bel-Air, Los Angeles, mansion in 2011, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Francis, 40, will also undergo one year of psychological counseling as well as an anger management course.
In May, Francis was convicted of one count of assault causing great bodily injury, three counts of false imprisonment and one count of dissuading a witness from reporting.
As the Los Angeles Times notes, Francis met three girls at a Hollywood nightclub and took them back to his house. He allegedly refused to let them leave and became violent, choking one of the women and slamming her head onto the tile floor four times.
After his conviction in May, Francis lashed out at the jury in an exclusive interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
"I want that jury to know that each and every one of you are mentally f---ing retarded and you should be euthanized because, as Darwin said, you have naturally selected yourself," Francis said. "You are the weakest members of the herd. Goodbye! And if that jury wants to convict me because I didn't show up, which is the only reason why they did, then, you know, they should all be lined up and shot!"
"The problem with the jury system is that anyone who's not smart enough to come up with an excuse to get out of jury duty doesn't get out," he continued. "Only the stupidest of the stupidest people end up on juries, you know? I've never met a smart person who's done jury duty." Francis was quick to issue an apology for his remarks after they went viral online.
"I deeply regret the remarks attributed to me in the interview with The Hollywood Reporter," he said. "They were hurtful and do not reflect my true feelings. While I disagree with the jury's verdict as I am completely innocent of the charges and intend to appeal, I was afforded a fair trial, and if I lose at the appellate level, I will reluctantly but fully accept the jury's verdict."
Francis has been dogged by legal problems in recent years. "Whether a celebrity or not, you will be held accountable for your misdeeds," prosecutor Carmen A. Trutanich said in a statement.
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