They wanted to be models. Mostly struggling college students, the women submitted applications through websites like BeginModeling.com, which promised a “comfortable start” in the industry only to learn that the job was a pornography shoot. They agreed to participate, federal authorities claim in court documents, because of a promise that the videos were being created exclusively for private collectors or DVDs sold abroad and would never be posted online, reports the Washington Post. That turned out to be a lie. The footage was uploaded to a website called GirlsDoPorn, which has allegedly made $17 million by specializing in “amateur porn” starring nervous first-timers. They also appeared on Porn Hub, a leading adult video site. The women were horrified to find out their shoots were online; many were harassed or ostracized. At least one was disowned by her family.
The owners and two employees of GirlsDoPorn face sex-trafficking charges in what federal investigators call a “scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in sex videos.” A criminal complaint in San Diego, where the company is based, alleges that some of the women were threatened with “legal action or outing” if they didn’t perform, barred from leaving shoots or sexually assaulted. They were often paid far less than the $5,000 that was initially offered. “The FBI is still in the process of identifying all the women recruited, filmed, coerced and defrauded by this conspiracy,” the complaint says, “as well as the proceeds made from these activities.” Website owner Matthew Isaac Wolfe, 37, porn actor Ruben Andre Garcia, 31, and employee Valorie Moser, 37, were arrested last week. The FBI says Michael James Pratt, 37, the site’s other owner, is a fugitive. He’s believed to have fled to New Zealand, where he and Wolfe were childhood friends.
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I’ve been trying for months to join this lawsuit, but the lawyer involved won’t return any of my calls or emails. I am also a victim and can prove entrapment from my video. How can I get into contact with the FBI or whoever is now in charge?? I want to submit my testimony & join the suite if still possible.