Latest news with #MichaelPratt
Yahoo
2 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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
GirlsDoPorn boss, once one of FBI's 10 most wanted, pleads guilty to sex trafficking
After three years on the run and a stint on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, the leader of GirlsDoPorn, Michael Pratt, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in San Diego on Thursday, authorities said. Pratt used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women, many of whom were in their late teens, to perform sex acts on camera, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The women were often lured under the pretense of modeling gigs and were later told they would be filming adult videos, which Pratt and his business partners falsely promised would not appear online, prosecutors said. If the women refused to finish filming, Pratt would threaten to sue them, cancel flights home and post the videos publicly. The videos would then be uploaded to where Pratt made more than $17 million in profits from 2012 to 2019, prosecutors said. The consequences for the young victims were devastating. In court hearings, victims detailed how they had lost jobs, been evicted, dropped out of school or been disowned by friends and family. Some attempted suicide. Read more: After years on the run, GirlsDoPorn boss faces 'beginning of the end' in San Diego In court, Pratt admitted to coming up with the idea for GirlsDoPorn, recruiting women to appear in the videos, sometimes transporting them to and from the site of a video shoot and sometimes manning the camera, prosecutors said. He faces a potential life sentence and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25. He was initially indicted in October 2019 alongside his business partners. But before Pratt could answer for his crimes, he disappeared. For years, while his business partners entered guilty pleas and victims testified in court, Pratt was nowhere to be found. The FBI placed him on its top 10 list and offered a $100,000 reward in return for information leading to his arrest. Authorities finally nabbed the elusive sex trafficking ringleader in Spain in December 2022, where he was held in custody until his extradition to San Diego in 2024, according to the Department of Justice. Pratt's former business partners Ruben Andre Garcia, Matthew Wolfe and Theodore Gyi have already been convicted and are serving sentences of 20, 14 and four years, respectively. Valorie Moser, the former GirlsDoPorn bookkeeper, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and is scheduled to be sentenced in September, prosecutors said. The charges against the sixth person in the indictment — a woman who was accused of helping recruit women to film the adult movies — were dropped in 2021, according to reporting from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Read more: 22 women win $13 million in suit against GirlsDoPorn videos Pratt directed Garcia, a male adult-film performer, to recruit "reference girls" to falsely convince young women that the videos they were filming would not appear online and that their friends and family would never see them, prosecutors said. The reference girls were paid per model they tried to recruit. At least one of the models was underage. "I can remember being so worried to tell him [Garcia] that I was just 17," a woman told the court during a hearing for Garcia. "But he was not mad or concerned. Instead he was excited and was eager to start." The women were often flown to San Diego from out of state to participate in the adult films. Pratt and his business partners would attempt to hide their connection to GirlsDoPorn from the models, having them sign contracts with innocuous-sounding business names such as 'Begin Modeling,' 'Bubblegum Casting' or 'BLL Media," prosecutors said. Pratt pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to sex-traffic from 2012 to 2019 and one count of sex trafficking a victim in May 2012, prosecutors said. Times staff writer Sonja Sharp contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tackling crime, social disorder, Safer Calgary shows early results: CPS
A new initiative aimed at curbing crime and social disorder in public spaces is showing early signs of success, say Calgary Police. The Safer Calgary operation began on Feb. 17, with police, peace officers and community partners working together to address issues, particularly on public transit routes and downtown. New transit safety hub at Chinook Centre 'critical' to addressing social disorder concerns, councillor says New survey indicates safety perception is improving on Calgary Transit Over 230 charges have been laid since the operation began, 1,464 arrest warrants fulfilled and 1,060 tickets have been issued, said CPS in a Thursday media release. Additionally, 229 grams of fentanyl, 61 grams of methamphetamine and four grams of cocaine have been seized so far. 'Through integrated enforcement, strategic patrols and compassionate supports, we aim to strengthen our city together for a safer Calgary,' said CPS acting Staff Sgt. Derek Klassen in the release. Aside from enforcement, 1,151 social agency referrals have been made and there have been more than 1,128 business engagements. The police and peace officer partnership has been ongoing for several years, however implementing the Safer Calgary operation 'was expedited to align with a request from the province for enhanced collaboration' between the two agencies. 'Our collaborative approach improves response effectiveness and fosters a sense of security for transit users,' said Michael Pratt, acting deputy chief, Transit Public Safety in the release. The Alpha House and HELP Team (previously DOAP Team), have long partnered with transit and bylaw officers throughout the city. The HELP Team responds to situations of homelessness and substance use where other types of intervention aren't necessary. Over the past month, the HELP Team has had 3,163 calls for service, 6,741 client interactions, and provided 11,443 services including 4,997 transports to shelters, hospitals and other social services. More to come… swilhelm@
