Accountability

California-based porn empire founder arrested in Spain on charges of sex trafficking

Published

3 years ago

December 28, 2022

The founder of a California-based porn empire that reportedly coerced young women into filming adult videos has been arrested in Spain, the FBI announced.

Michael James Pratt, 40, was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list after he fled three years ago when he was charged with sex-trafficking.

The FBI said Pratt was arrested in Madrid on Wednesday by the Spanish National Police. He will be held in Spain until his extradition to San Diego, where he will face charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a minor, production of child pornography, and money laundering conspiracy.

Pratt is the founder of the GirlsDoPorn website, which is based out of San Diego. He and others were named in a 2019 civil lawsuit brought forward by 22 women who said that they had been victims of fraud and breach of contract. Some also alleged sexually assault.

A judge ultimately ruled in favor of the women and handed down a $12.7 million judgment against Pratt, Matthew Isaac Wolfe and adult producer and performer Ruben Andre Garcia.

Wolfe is currently awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He was responsible for handling day-to-day operations for Pratt, including the company’s finances, marketing and filming.

Garcia also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Cameraman Theodore Gyi was sentenced to four years in prison. A bookkeeper for the porn company has also pled guilty.

Terry A. Hurlbut

+ posts

Terry A. Hurlbut has been a student of politics, philosophy, and science for more than 35 years. He is a graduate of Yale College and has served as a physician-level laboratory administrator in a 250-bed community hospital. He also is a serious student of the Bible, is conversant in its two primary original languages, and has followed the creation-science movement closely since 1993.