March 20, 2024 - SAN DIEGO – Michael Pratt, the alleged mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn commercial sex trafficking ring, made his first appearance in federal 
court on Tuesday following his extradition from Spain Monday night.
Pratt, who was the owner of the website GirlsDoPorn, was charged in October 2019 in the Southern District of California with sex trafficking crimes in connection with a scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos. Pratt was an international fugitive for more than three years before he was arrested in Spain in December 2022. Earlier in 2022, he was named to the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list.
At today’s hearing, Pratt was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel E. Butcher. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 21 at 3 p.m. before Judge Butcher, followed by a motion hearing/trial setting on April 19 at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
“We cast a wide net in search of Mr. Pratt and now that he is in San Diego, we are prepared to bring him to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “We extend our deep appreciation to the government of Spain for its assistance in securing his arrest and extradition.”
“Michael Pratt’s initial appearance in San Diego is tangible proof that the pursuit of justice never stops, regardless of length of time or location,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “Pratt’s arrest and extradition back to the United States reflects a great collaboration among multiple agencies, both in the United States and Spain who were dedicated to seeking justice for the young women he allegedly victimized. This large, internationally coordinated effort could not have been successful without support from our law enforcement partners in Spain, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Justice, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
According to public court filings, Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud, and coercion to recruit hundreds of young adult women – most in their late teens – and at least one minor victim, to appear in GirlsDoPorn videos.
Pratt is accused of recruiting the victims from throughout the United States and Canada using internet advertisements for clothed modeling jobs. Even after the victims were told the gig involved an adult video-shoot, Pratt and his co-defendants convinced the women that their videos would be provided solely to private collectors on DVD in foreign countries, that they would remain anonymous, and that the videos would not be posted on the internet – assurances that Pratt and his co-defendants knew to be false.
Most of the video shoots took place in San Diego – at local hotels and short-term rental units. Although the women were promised that the video shoots would be brief, they often took hours. Once the video productions began, some women were not permitted to leave the shooting locations until the videos were completed; some were threatened with lawsuits or cancelled flights home if they did not complete the videos; and others were allegedly forced to perform certain sex acts, which they had earlier declined to do.
After the victims returned home, still believing that they would remain anonymous, Pratt and his co-defendants posted clips of the videos on heavily trafficked adult film sites, like Pornhub, to funnel traffic to the full-length versions of the videos on his website, GirlsDoPorn. Pratt charged visitors to GirlsDoPorn a subscription fee. The site generated more than $17 million in revenue for Pratt.
Pratt faces 19 felony counts stemming from the operation of GirlsDoPorn. The charges include:
• Fifteen counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion;
• Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion;
• Production of child pornography;
• Sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, and coercion; and
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California recognizes the outstanding efforts of the FBI in San Diego; the FBI Legal Attaché in Spain; the U.S. Marshals Service; Spain’s Ministry of Justice; and law enforcement officials in Spain and Portugal; as well as the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, for their substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Pratt.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 19cr4488
Michael James Pratt Age: 36 Unknown
Matthew Isaac Wolfe Age 37 San Diego, CA
Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 31 San Diego, CA
Theodore Gyi Age, 46 Solana Beach, CA
Valorie Moser Age: 37 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES IN SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT
Count 1
Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1594
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison, $250,000 fine.
Counts 2-16
Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §1591(a) and (b)(1)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine.
Count 17
Production of Child Pornography, 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: thirty years in prison, $250,000 fine.
Count 18
Sex Trafficking of a Minor and By Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a)(1), (a)(2), and (c)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine.
Count 19
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments, 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(i) and 1956(h).
Civil penalty of the greater of (A) the value of the property, fund or monetary instruments involved in the transaction or (B) $10,000
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
FBI – Southern District of California and Legal Attaché in Spain
U.S. Marshals Service
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
Spanish National Police
Spain’s Ministry of Justice
Spain’s Ministry of Interior
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: DOJ Release
Related: In a San Diego, California Courtroom, Friend and Business Partner of GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison
