Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis is now being investigated for attempted bribery and possession of a controlled substance after prescription drugs and cash were found in his cell Wednesday night at the Bay County Jail in Panama City.
According to the Panama City News-Herald, Francis allegedly offered a guard $100 for bottled water. The ensuing search of Francis' cell turned up 16 prescription pills and $700 in cash.
An update from gossip website TMZ.com stated that the president of Francis' company Mantra Films, Scott Barbour has also been arrested by the Bay County Sheriff "on suspicion of slipping the pills and the cash to Francis. Authorities say Barbour made the handoff when he visited Francis Wednesday night at the jail. Now Barbour is an inmate at the same jail as Francis."
At press time, it is unknown whether Francis will face federal or state charges as a result of the incident. If convicted on state charges, Francis could face up to 85 years in prison.
Francis is being held at the Bay County facility on federal contempt of court charges stemming from his conduct during mediation in a civil lawsuit. The T&A mogul was also charged with tax evasion this week for allegedly deducting an estimated $20 million in false business expenses from his 2002 and 2003 federal tax returns.
Francis is scheduled to appear in federal court today at 1:30 p.m. for a bond hearing on the contempt of court charges.
