Founder of California-based Porn Site Arrested in Spain for Sex Trafficking
One of the FBI's ten most wanted individuals was captured in Spain, as the Bureau has announced that Michael James Pratt, founder of the California-based porn site, GirlsDoPorn, was arrested by the Spanish National Police in Madrid.
According to the LA Times, Pratt has been on the run for sex trafficking charges for three years now. His California-based porn empire, GirlsDoPorn, allegedly coerced young women into doing porn.
New Zealand native Pratt will be held in Spain until he is extradited to San Diego to face his sex trafficking charges. He is also facing charges of sex trafficking of a minor, production of child pornography, and money laundering conspiracy.
He was targeted by a civil lawsuit filed by 22 women in 2019, who all claimed they were victimized by fraud and breach of contract. He then went into hiding ever since.
Porn Site Founder Drugged Girls and Forced Them to Film Adult Videos
The women who filed the complaint against Pratt claimed that the 40-year-old former porn mogul got them drunk with alcohol and high with marijuana before forcing them to sign a contract. The women also stated in their complaint that they were not allowed to even read their contract.
The Associated Press reported that some of the women also said that they were sexually assaulted and held in hotel rooms unwillingly. They had to stay inside the room until they completed filming the adult video.
While Pratt was on the run, several of his associates were arrested and have already pleaded guilty to their crimes. They were also convicted.
In their lawsuit, a judge favored the women and rewarded them with $12.7 million in their civil lawsuit. Also named were GirlsDoPorn marketing head Matthew Isaac Wolfe, adult producer and performer Ruben Andre Garcia, bookkeeper Valorie Moser, and cameraman Theodore Gyi.
Wolfe already pleaded guilty in a criminal trial earlier this year for a single federal count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He now awaits sentencing. Meanwhile, Garcia has already been sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Gyi had been sentenced to four. Finally, Moser pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing as well.
Who Is GirldDoPorn Founder Michael James Pratt?
The FBI described Pratt in their wanted poster as a white male with hazel brown eyes and brown hair. They offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The FBI states that Pratt owned and operated both "GirlsDoPorn" and "GirlsDoToys" with a co-conspirator. They allegedly recruited women, not just in the United States but also in Canada, by posting fake internet advertisements for modeling jobs. However, they never said anything that these "modeling jobs" were pornographic in nature.
Pratt also allegedly promised that these pornographic videos would not be posted online. However, he and his co-conspirators would always break those promises and post the videos online on the two porn sites.
According to the FBI, the two porn sites garnered over $17 million in revenue.
READ MORE: 'Pedophile' White Supremacist Who Groomed 12-Year-Old California Girl Dies in Arizona Jail
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
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