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'Girls Gone Wild's' Joe Francis Arrested for False Imprisonment, Assault

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on August 23, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Was Joe Francis arrested again?

It may not be surprising that the half-baked brain behind pseudo-porn Girls Gone Wild has found himself in more legal trouble, but what is surprising is that, this time, it has nothing to do with underage girls.

Francis, along with his bodyguard Vagram Gegdzhyan, is accused of kidnapping and physically assaulting a group of three women during a January incident that culminated at his home.

Charged with three counts of false imprisonment, one count of dissuading a witness from reporting, and one count of assault, the press release issued by the Los Angeles City Attorney's office states that Joe Francis could face up to five years in jail and/or $13,000 in fines.

It's alleged that the victims briefly met Francis at a club in Hollywood, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The girls claim that as they left the club, he grabbed one and pulled her into his limo, with the other two following. Believing that they were being taken to their car, the Times reports that Francis' bodyguard pulled out a fake badge and drove the women to Francis' home instead.

Once there, a physical altercation erupted, with the victims alleging that Joe Francis grabbed one of them by the throat and slammed her head into the floor before being kicked out and told not to call the police.

Though the false imprisonment and assault charges are obvious outcomes of Joe Francis' arrest, it's actually illegal to dissuade a witness from making a police report in California.

Committing such a crime doesn't even require intimidation or threats.

But let's hope that Joe Francis, arrested as he now is, is a bit intimidated by the charges brought against him. Maybe it'll force him to realize the seriousness of the proceedings and decide to hire a lawyer instead of representing himself.

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