Girls Gone Wild mogul denies evasion charges

Soft-porn video mogul and creator of 'Girls Gone Wild' Joe Francis has denied charges of tax evasion in Los Angeles.

Francis allegedly claimed more than $20m in phony business expenses on his corporate returns in 2002 and 2003, the LA Times reported.

The video mogul claims he is being pursued because of what he does for a living, and that he was the victim of a whistleblower program run by the IRS.

His returns were prepared by his accountant, who then reported his own 'accounting mistakes' to the IRS in exchange for bonuses.

'This ain't 'Girls Gone Wild. This is the IRS gone wild,' said Robert Bernhoft, Francis' attorney.

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Read the LA Times story