Joe Francis Facing Fraud Charges

Girls Gone Wild impersario Joe Frances wrote a $2 million bad check to The Wynn Casino.

Girls Gone Wild" producer Joe Francis pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony theft and fraud charges over his failure to pay the Wynn Las Vegas a $2 million gambling debt.

Francis, 38, who is free on $132,500 bail, was indicted by a Clark County grand jury on Feb. 2.
The indictment alleges Francis intended to defraud the Wynn by signing a $2.5 million marker on a closed bank account during a gambling junket in February 2007.

Prosecutors contend Francis paid back only $500,000 of the $2.5 million.

When District Judge Linda Bell asked him Wednesday how he intended to plead, Francis said, "100 percent not guilty."

Bell set a Nov. 7 trial date.

In an interview afterward, Francis accused the Wynn Las Vegas of committing fraud against him and again denied any wrongdoing.

"This is a civil dispute," he said. "There's been no criminal act on my part whatsoever."

Francis also issued a news release calling the Wynn's debt claims "false and insidious."
"(The) Wynn casino admits I do not owe a debt, and their own internal accounting records reflect this," Francis said in the release. "I have a history and an impeccable record of paying any accounts owed to the Wynn casino and, again, their own internal records reflect this statement."
His Reno criminal defense lawyer, David Houston, charged outside the courtroom that the criminal case was filed against Francis to "assist the Wynn Las Vegas in its debt collection."
Houston filed court papers Wednesday seeking to dismiss the charges against Francis on grounds prosecutors failed to present evidence favorable to Francis to the indicting grand jury.
"This case does not belong here," Houston wrote. "It belongs in civil court. This court should not countenence casinos using the Clark County district attorney's office as its collection agent when a patron like Mr. Francis doesn't 'knuckle under.' "

Chief Deputy District Attorney Bernie Zadrowski, who runs the bad check unit, disputed Houston's claims.

"We don't assist casinos in debt collection," he said. "This is a criminal case that has the element of an intent to defraud. He wrote a check that bounced. It's a crime to write bad checks."

Jacked from LVRJ