DOCUMENT: Crime

"Girls Gone Wild" Boss Accused Of Rape

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"Girls Gone Wild" Boss Accused Of Rape

MARCH 31--Miami Beach police are investigating a 21-year-old-woman's claim that she was raped earlier this month by "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joseph Francis. According to the woman's account--contained in the below police report--Francis drugged and assaulted her in a hotel suite on March 12, hours after the two met at a South Beach nightclub. Francis, 30, allegedly invited the victim and a friend back to the Ritz Carlton for a nightcap. The woman told officers that the next thing she remembered was "waking up naked in bed" with Francis next to her. When she later refused sex with him, the controversial Francis wondered, "Why not, we already had." The woman left the hotel and went to a local hospital for a rape examination, but did not report the incident to police for several days. Francis is already facing a variety of felony charges stemming from "Girls Gone Wild" antics last March in Panama City. (2 pages)