Gay XXX talent agent David Forest, charged with two counts each of pimping and pandering, was found not guilty on all counts by a 12-person jury this afternoon.
The trial, which began on January 27, lasted until February 6. The jury was in deliberation for three days.
The charges stemmed from a May 19, 2004, sting operation in which undercover police met porn stars Rod Barry and Chip Noll through Forest's "Meet the Stars" program. Barry and Noll were arrested for prostitution for accepting money for sex. They became the chief witnesses against Forest.
"They also dragged in the cops from my trial ten years ago. Can you imagine?" he said.
Forest told GAYVN that all he does in the Meet the Stars program is introduce porn stars to fans. He charges the fans for the introductions, but receives nothing from the stars for this service. "I was pretty sure the pimping charges would not hold up," he said, "because I don't take money from the stars. During their deliberations, the jury wanted to know if it's pimping if I don't know there's going to be prostitution. It isn't."
Forest said he was offered a plea-bargain, but would not accept it, "because I was innocent."
Rod Barry's testimony," said Forest, "contradicted his earlier version of events and the jury just did not believe him. I was on the stand for two days. The jury believed me. They congratulated me and shook my hand after the not guilty verdicts were read."
Greatly relieved at the trial's outcome, Forest said, "I think this is a victory for the adult entertainment industry as well as a vindication for David Forest."
Photo courtesy of David Forest
