Who is Joe Francis? Girls Gone Wild founder’s ex-wife Abbey Wilson faces kidnapping charge after twins go ‘missing’

As per TMZ, Girl’s Gone Wild franchise founder Joe Francis’ daughters are missing for over a week. TMZ reported that Francis’ ex-wife Abbey Wilson is facing kidnapping charges over their seven-year-old twin daughters, Athena and Alexandria, going missing in Mexico.

Joe Francis claimed that his daughters were supposed to meet him for Christmas. However, they have not been seen in ten days. TMZ also acquired court documents that claimed that Francis was not allowed by Abbey to see his daughters.

The legal documents also disclosed that authorities could not serve an indictment to Wilson over alleged “family violence.” Joe further claims that Wilson has taken his daughters to live with another man.

What is known about Joe Francis?

Joseph R. Francis is best known for founding the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ adult entertainment franchise. The Atlanta native is also a film producer and reportedly worked in the entertainment industry as a production assistant before starting GGW.

In 1995, Joe Francis graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurial Studies. Two years later, he launched Girls Gone Wild, and the brand sold copies of their adult videos on their website and as DVDs. As per Variety, GGW sold 4.5 million videos and DVDs within four years of launch.

The immense popularity of Girls Gone Wild helped Joe Francis net an estimated worth of $150 million. However, CelebrityNetWorth pegs his current net worth at $25 million. The former entrepreneur’s gambling debts are one of the primary causes for the loss of his fortune.

Joe Francis’ controversies

Francis has been involved in several controversies throughout his career, including being allegedly charged with tax evasion, bribery, assault, child abuse, and several others. In 2006, GGW’s marketer MRA Holdings admitted their failure to maintain a record for the ages of girls who starred in their videos. The brand was involved in multiple lawsuits, following which it declared bankruptcy and was sold in 2014.

In 2013, after Joe Francis declared bankruptcy of his venture, he fled to Mexico with Abbey Wilson. A year later, they welcomed their twin daughters. He has been evading civic charges from the US government, as there is no extradition treaty between the two countries regarding civil offense warrants.

However, in August 2020, Francis was detained by the Mexican government for spitting on a woman after his COVID diagnosis. The woman alleged that he infected her with the virus. The woman dropped the charges a few weeks later, and Francis was released.

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Around the same time in September 2020, Joe Francis and Abbey Wilson reportedly finalized their divorce. Various reports, however, suggest that the two were never married. Wilson has accused Francis of substance abuse and domestic violence. She received emergency custody of their daughters in June 2021.