''Girls Gone Wild'' Creator Says He Was Terrified During LA Breakin "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis, 32, testified that Darnell Riley, 28, broke into his home, pointed a gun at him and videotaped him. Francis said he was made to pull down his pants and say sexually humiliating comments about himself. Riley allegedly tried to extort money from Francis to not distribute the video.
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''Girls Gone Wild'' Creator Says He Was Terrified During LA Breakin
LOS ANGELES (AP) 12.20.05, 10:05a -- The creator of the ``Girls Gone Wild'' video series says he was ``scared to death'' when a gun-wielding man broke into his Bel-Air mansion and forced him to partially disrobe and pose for a demeaning videotape.
Joe Francis, 32, testified Monday at the preliminary hearing for Darnell Riley, 28, who faces six felony counts of burglary, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and attempted extortion. Riley has pleaded not guilty.
During four hours of testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court, Francis said that Riley broke into his home the night of Jan. 22, 2004, pulled a gun on him and videotaped him, on his bed with his pants down, making sexually humiliating comments about himself. He then threatened to distribute the video unless Francis paid him $300,000 to $500,000, said Francis, who has made a fortune getting young women to bare their breasts for the camera.
Francis also said Riley grabbed items ``like he was on a shopping spree,'' taking Louis Vuitton luggage, a Picasso drawing, his watch, $1,100 in cash and his cell phone.
Police learned of the alleged crime from socialite Paris Hilton, Francis' former girlfriend, who said she heard the incident discussed at a party.
Riley's defense attorney, Ronald Richards, is expected to cross-examine Francis on Tuesday.
Richards has said the defense will argue that Riley and Francis knew each other before the alleged breakin - a claim Francis denied.