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# Going a little too wild, Joe
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/going-a-little-too-wild-joe/
- Published: 2007-04-17T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:35:13.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Girls Gone Wild founder charged with bribing prison guard for water*

PANAMA CITY, FLA. Whether he was going to drink it or splash it on a girl’s chest remains unclear, but Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis’ quest for a bottle of water has landed him in a sea of legal problems.

The 34-year-old from Santa Monica is in trouble with Bay County Sheriff authorities for allegedly bribing a jail guard for a bottle of water on April 11 and keeping a stash of prescription pills in his cell.

The creator of the Girls Gone Wild empire from which he has made millions of dollars selling videos of young coeds flashing their chests, Francis has been held in custody in Bay County Jail in Panama City since April 10, when he was arrested for federal contempt of court.

Bay County Sheriffs slapped Francis with additional charges of introducing contraband into a county detention facility, possessing a controlled substance and bribery of a public servant.

Francis allegedly offered a jail guard $100 for bottled water, and when the guard refused, he upped the offer to $500\. It was then the correction officer became suspicious since inmates in custody are not allowed to carry cash.

“He had a strip search done when he was booked in jail and did not have cash on him at that time,” said Ruth Sasser, spokeswoman for the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

A search of Francis’ cell turned up $700 in cash and loose anti-anxiety pills such as Lunesta, Alprazolam and Lorazepam.

Suspicious as to how he came to be in possession of the cash and pills, officials reviewed taped phone conversations that Francis had made since his arrest.In an April 11 call,Francis spoke to a person identified as “Scott,” leading authorities to suspect that he was the person who brought Francis the pills, Sasser said.

Authorities were able to determine that Scott Barbour, the president of Mantra Films, which produces the Girls Gone Wild videos, had identified himself as an attorney in gaining access to Francis’ cell on April 11.

“Whether or not he’s an attorney, I don’t know, but he is the president of Mantra Films,” Sasser said.

Barbour was arrested and charged with introduction of a contraband on April 12.

Francis’ spokesman, Ronn Torossian of 5W Public Relations, declined to comment on the charges.

Before his arrest, Francis was in the process of settling a lawsuit brought forth by seven women who claimed they were underage when they were filmed for a Girls Gone Wild video in 2003\. The lawyer representing the women claimed that Francis had become enraged during negotiations, leading the judge to slap him with a contempt order after talks had failed.

Torossian confirmed a settlement was finally reached last week.

Following the new charges filed against Francis, the Florida State Attorney’s Office filed a motion to a federal judge to revoke Francis’s bond on which he was initially released a few years ago after facing numerous charges including racketeering.

“We’re asking the judge to hold him without bond,” said Joe Grammar, spokesman for the State Attorney’s Office.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 17, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041707.pdf?ref=smdp.com)