Joe Francis of 'Girls Gone Wild' plea deal, pays $500,000

By Stone Martindale Sep 26, 2006, 18:20 GMT

Joe Francis - selling videos like hotcakes © Chris Hatcher / Photorazzi

LOS ANGELES — Joe Francis, the "Girls Gone Wild" video producer plead guilty Monday to charges of failing to document the ages of young women engaging in sexual acts in the videos.

Francis, 33, agreed to pay a $500,000 fine as part of the plea deal.

A judge will decide whether to accept or reject the deal at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Dec. 18.

Francis told reporters outside he thought the chances are "pretty slim" that the judge would reject the deal.  "We are thrilled to have this stuff behind us," Francis said.

Francis' attorney, Aaron Dyer, claimed underage girls who had appeared in the videos had lied about their age to the company.

Francis' Santa Monica-based company, Mantra Films Inc., pleaded guilty earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Florida on similar charges. According to court papers, Mantra Films admitted to violating record keeping and labeling laws while producing and distributing the videos during all of 2002 and part of 2003.

A second company owned by Mantra's founder, MRA Holdings LLC, entered into a deferred agreement on charges of improper labeling.  The ruling also stated they must hire an outside company to monitor its records and production facilities to ensure compliance with federal law.

Separate state charges in Florida remain pending that allege two 17-year-old girls were videotaped by a "Girls Gone Wild" cameraman in sexual situations.