Michael Pratt departed the United States in 2019 while procedures were still underway, and he was among the "Top 10" on the FBI's most wanted list.
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| Michael Pratt arrest in Spain |
For the victims of "Girls Do Porn," Christmas arrived earlier this year. Motherboard spoke with the lawyer for the 22 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the proprietors of the now-defunct porn site. Because one of the operators, Michael Pratt, was apprehended after years of flight in Spain.
From 2012 until 2019, the site uploaded relevant footage of hundreds of women, promoting them as novice participants in the adult film business. Hundreds of people videotaped, however, claimed illegal behavior by those responsible. The sessions were originally presented as pure modeling gigs for quick cash, and the persons involved were duped into coming to San Diego. It was only disclosed on-site at the hotel that it was a pornographic production and that the women were coerced into participating. There was also physical abuse reported.
Furthermore, individuals impacted were assured that the recordings would not be made available to the general public, but would only be sold to collectors in certain nations. Indeed, the clips were actively promoted and, at times, even posted to big venues such as Pornhub. Pratt and Company are claimed to have made millions of dollars over the years.
In 2019, 22 victims went to court, and the website was shut down. In the end, it resolved charges of sex trafficking, coercion, and fraud. Damages of $18 million were granted to the plaintiffs. Pratt had departed the country at the start of the proceedings. An arrest warrant was issued in November, and the FBI designated him as a fugitive in early 2020. He barely made it onto the top ten most wanted list last September. A reward of up to $100,000 was offered for information leading to his location.
Pratt was ultimately apprehended last Wednesday after checking into a hotel in Madrid under one of his various aliases, according to the publication "El Espaol" (December 21). The New Zealand national is anticipated to be extradited to the United States soon.
Other conspirators have pleaded guilty or been convicted in recent months and years. Co-owner Matthew Wolfe and cameraman Theodore Gyi are among them. Last year, leading actor Ruben Garcia, who was also a co-owner, was sentenced to 20 years in jail.
The revelation of the "Girls Do Porn" scheme sparked a debate about the role of portals like Pornhub and how they handle video content that contains abuse or was not shared consensually. Following that, the running business Mindgeeks agreed to erase such clips and implement systems to make future distribution more difficult. The victims also prosecuted Pornhub, and the procedures finished in a settlement in 2021.