Latest news with #GirlsDoPorn
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Former Chch man pleads guilty to sex trafficking charges in the US
A Christchurch-born man has pleaded guilty to multiple sex trafficking charges in a United States federal court. Pornographer Michael James Pratt, the owner of adult website GirlsDoPorn, had been awaiting trial after he initially pleaded not guilty following his arrest and extradition from Spain to the United States, the New Zealand Herald reported. He pleaded guilty in San Diego on Thursday. In his plea agreement, the Herald reported Pratt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sex traffic and sex trafficking. He is due to be sentenced on September 8. Prior to being arrested at a Spanish hotel in 2022, Pratt, 42, was on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list. The Herald reported the summary of charges states that sex trafficking conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of sex trafficking carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a US$250,000 ($414,000) fine. Pratt was charged in October 2019 in California with sex trafficking crimes in connection with a scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos, the Herald reported. He liquidated his assets and fled the United States in mid-2019. Pratt was one of five co-defendants in the case. Three have been sentenced to prison, while a fourth awaits sentencing, the Herald reported. Christchurch pornographer shamed in court His childhood friend from Christchurch, Matthew Isaac Wolfe, was jailed for 14 years in March last year for tricking scores of women into becoming porn stars. Wolfe had claimed in court that he was effectively forced to go and work for his friend after the February 22, 2011, earthquake in Christchurch. Pratt and Wolfe met at primary school in Christchurch. While they attended different secondary schools - Christchurch Boys' High and Burnside High respectively - they remained friends. Ruben Andre Garcia, who was recruited by Pratt in 2013 and was the male model who engaged in sex acts on video with the women, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2021, the Herald reported. Theodore Gyi, who served as a cameraman, was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2022, while Valorie Moser, the office manager, will be sentenced on September 12. In May, the Herald reported US authorities have moved to seize more than $1.2 million in cryptocurrency from Pratt.
1News
2 days ago
- 1News
Kiwi porn site founder accused of sex trafficking pleads guilty in US
A New Zealand man who founded a California-based porn empire that recruited women with false modelling offers pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in a federal court, authorities said. Michael James Pratt pleaded guilty Thursday (local time) in federal court in San Diego, according to the US Department of Justice. He faces a possible life sentence when he is sentenced September 25. Pratt, 42, was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list when he was arrested in Madrid in 2022, three years after he fled while facing sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors said Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women, many of whom were in their late teens, for their adult videos. A New Zealand native, he founded the now-defunct GirlsDoPorn website in San Diego. In 2019, he and others were charged in San Diego with sex crimes after being targeted in a civil lawsuit by 22 women who claimed they were victimised by fraud and breach of contract. ADVERTISEMENT Where to get help for sexual violence. (Source: 1News) The women said they were plied with alcohol and marijuana before being rushed through signing a contract, which they were not allowed to read. Some said they were sexually assaulted and held in hotel rooms unwillingly until adult filming had ended. A judge in 2020 found in favour of the women and handed down a US$12.7 million (NZ$21 million) judgment against Pratt, Matthew Isaac Wolfe and adult producer and performer Ruben Andre Garcia. Wolfe, who handled day-to-day operations, finances, marketing and filming for the website, pleaded guilty in 2022 to a single federal count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He was sentenced last year to 14 years in federal prison. The other co-defendants also pleaded guilty. Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison and cameraman Theodore Gyi received a four-year sentence. Valorie Moser, a former bookkeeper for the website, also pleaded guilty last year. She's scheduled to be sentenced September 12.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Michael Pratt, owner of GirlsDoPorn, pleads guilty to multiple sex trafficking counts
Christchurch-born pornographer Michael James Pratt pleaded guilty to multiple sex trafficking counts in the federal court in San Diego on Thursday. The owner of adult website GirlsDoPorn had been awaiting trial after initially pleading not guilty following his arrest and extradition from Spain to the United States.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sprawling $17 M Sex Trafficking Operation
GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sprawling $17 M Sex Trafficking Operation originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Michael Pratt, the mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn sex trafficking ring that "extorted and terrorized women and teenage girls to produce pornography," pleaded guilty Thursday in a San Diego federal court, three years after he was captured in Spain, where he had been living as a fugitive, federal prosecutors say. Pratt, who was the owner of the GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys websites was charged in October 2019 as part of a 19-count indictment that accused him of sex trafficking, production of child pornography, sex trafficking of a minor, and money laundering, all part of his "scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos," the Department of Justice said. The victims were lied to, federal prosecutors say, and were told the videos would not be posted online. Instead, Pratt admitted, he enticed subscribers to his website - which raked in $17 million dollars - by posting the videos on international sites like Pornhub. "Women from various places throughout the United States and Canada were recruited to appear in videos based on these material misrepresentations," prosecutors say. Pratt had help, court records indicate, from male model and porn star Ruben Andre Garcia, who lured the women he would perform alongside, with a target age of 18 to 20, with promises of "clothed modeling" for a fake entity called "Bubblegum Casting." Pratt even bought a website domain called and set up a seemingly legitimate production company that could be googled called Plus One Media, which was used to recruit unwitting aspiring actresses. The victims responded to ads that offered to pay "cute girls" anywhere from $2000 to $6000 for modeling gigs, according to the indictment. The traffickers lured the women to the San Diego area by paying for their flights. In one case detailed in the indictment, Garcia picked up one young victim at the airport and brought her to a hotel room where he made her pose for nude photos "for his boss" before raping her, growling during the attack that "he needed to take her for a test drive," the indictment states. The ensuing sex tape was posted online and later seen by her family who "disowned her," the victim told prosecutors, leaving her homeless. This, prosecutors say, was a pattern repeated over and over again by Pratt and his co-conspirators. Teens and young women being lured with promises of fast cash for modeling gigs who were instead forced to perform on camera in hotel rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel and at short-term rentals in Dana Point, among other locations. "If the women balked at the sex acts," Pratt or his co-conspirators threatened to sue the women, cancel flights home, and post the videos on-line if the women did not complete the sex videos," prosecutors say. The victims, many under the legal drinking age, and some under the legal age of consent, were plied with alcohol and drugs and then forced to say on camera that they were not under the influence. When the videos went live, the victims were harassed, bullied out of colleges, lost jobs, or threatened with lawsuits over the sham contracts the women signed under duress from Pratt and his employees. When one father found out, he went after Pratt legally to remove his daughter's video with a letter to the pornographer's attorney. Pratt's lawyer responded by "attaching naked photos of the man's daughter," the indictment states. Soon the victims of Pratt's scheme found their social media profiles and real names on a site dedicated to exposing the identities of individuals appearing in explicit videos, which were likely liked by members of his enterprise. Dozens of survivors told prosecutors they became suicidal, or saw their lives spiral out of control after shooting the films during which they were often physically battered and then told to stop making "pain faces." "The sex for the video shoots was rough and caused many victims pain, and in some cases, bleeding. Some victims asked to stop filming," prosecutors say, but their pleas were denied. Worse, the promised payments for the abuse were reduced or withheld entirely. Pratt, who is a New Zealand native, and his coconspirators, Matthew Isaac Wolfe, who told investigators he moved to southern California from New Zealand to work as a producer for the sites; cameraman Theodore Gyi; model Amberlyn Dee Nored, office manager Valorie Moser - who admitted to recruiting some of the victims - were all charged by federal prosecutors in 2019. The pornographers have since confessed that the victims who were willing were told the videos would never appear in the United States, which was a lie. When the 2019 indictment was unsealed, Pratt "liquidated his assets and fled the United States," federal prosecutors say. His flight from justice landed him on the FBI's Most Wanted list. An Interpol Red Notice was issued for his arrest, which led police in Madrid to lock him up in December 2021. He remained in a Spanish prison until his extradition back to San Diego last March. 'The capture of Michael Pratt is an example of how the FBI will pursue justice beyond U.S. borders — you can run, but you can't hide,' Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego field office Stacey Moy said after Pratt was brought back to the U.S. Wolfe pleaded guilty in 2022, and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Garcia pleaded guilty in 2020 and was sentenced to 20 years. Gyi pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to 4 years. Moser's sentencing hearing is slated for this fall, which is when Pratt is expected to be sentenced. The charges against Dee Nored were dropped. Any other victims who were part of the Pratt organization's fraud are urged to call FBI National Threat Operations Center at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Many of the women who were victimized have still not yet come forward. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Porn site founder accused of sex trafficking pleads guilty in California
Published Jun 06, 2025 • 1 minute read This image made available by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation shows three photos of Michael James Pratt, the founder of a California-based porn empire that coerced young women into filming adult videos. Photo by FBI / AP SAN DIEGO — The founder of a California-based porn empire that recruited women with false modeling offers pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in a federal court, authorities said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Michael James Pratt pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in San Diego, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He faces a possible life sentence when he is sentenced Sept. 25. Pratt, 42, was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list when he was arrested in Madrid in 2022, three years after he fled while facing sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors said Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women, many of whom were in their late teens, for their adult videos. A New Zealand native, he founded the now-defunct GirlsDoPorn website in San Diego. In 2019, he and others were charged in San Diego with sex crimes after being targeted in a civil lawsuit by 22 women who claimed they were victimized by fraud and breach of contract. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The women said they were plied with alcohol and marijuana before being rushed through signing a contract, which they were not allowed to read. Some said they were sexually assaulted and held in hotel rooms unwillingly until adult filming had ended. A judge in 2020 found in favour of the women and handed down a $12.7 million judgment against Pratt, Matthew Isaac Wolfe and adult producer and performer Ruben Andre Garcia. Wolfe, who handled day-to-day operations, finances, marketing and filming for the website, pleaded guilty in 2022 to a single federal count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He was sentenced last year to 14 years in federal prison. The other co-defendants also pleaded guilty. Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison and cameraman Theodore Gyi received a four-year sentence. Valorie Moser, a former bookkeeper for the website, also pleaded guilty last year. She's scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 12. Olympics NHL Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons Ontario
