Michael James Pratt, the New Zealand-born founder of the now-defunct GirlsDoPorn website, was sentenced Monday to 27 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and a related conspiracy charge.
U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino imposed the sentence in San Diego after prosecutors detailed a largescale scheme in which Pratt and co-defendants recruited hundreds of women — many in their late teens — with false modeling offers and coerced them into adult videos. Federal authorities said the operation used force, fraud and coercion to obtain participation and distribution rights for the videos.
According to court filings and earlier civil litigation, some women were plied with alcohol and marijuana, rushed through contracts they were not allowed to read, and held in hotel rooms against their will until filming concluded. Several women who brought civil suits said they were sexually assaulted during the encounters. A civil jury in 2020 awarded 22 women a $12.7 million judgment against Pratt and others after finding they had been defrauded and harmed.
Pratt was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list after leaving the United States while facing federal charges. He was arrested in Madrid in 2022 and returned to the U.S. to face prosecution. Pratt pleaded guilty in June 2025 in federal court in San Diego to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of conspiracy to commit that offense, admitting his role in the scheme.
Prosecutors have said the operation recruited victims with promises of legitimate modeling work, then used threats, deception and intoxication to secure their participation and to obtain releases allowing widespread distribution of the material. The case drew attention for the scale of the alleged abuses and for the cross-border efforts to bring the founder to justice.
Several co-defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted. Matthew Isaac Wolfe, who prosecutors said handled day-to-day operations including finances, marketing and filming, pleaded guilty in 2022 to a single federal count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Ruben Andre Garcia, an adult producer and performer, received a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty. Cameraman Theodore Gyi was sentenced to four years.
Federal prosecutors said the defendants’ actions affected hundreds of women and relied on coordinated efforts to recruit and film them. The criminal convictions followed the 2019 civil lawsuit that first brought many of the victims’ allegations into public view and culminated in the 2020 monetary judgment.
In court, lawyers for the government outlined how the defendants’ business practices operated under the guise of modeling and how victims were coerced into signing away rights and participating in recordings. Defense attorneys for Pratt argued for a lesser sentence; sentencing documents show the government sought a lengthy term given the scope of the offenses and Pratt’s flight from the country.
The case marked one of the most high-profile federal prosecutions involving coercive practices in the online adult industry and highlighted legal and investigative efforts to address trafficking and exploitation facilitated through digital platforms. Pratt’s sentence is among the longest handed down to those involved in the scheme.
Victims’ advocates and attorneys who earlier pursued the civil case said the criminal sentences provided a measure of accountability but emphasized ongoing concerns about restitution and the broader industry practices that enabled the scheme. The civil judgment remains part of the record, and some victims continue to seek remedies through civil courts.
Pratt’s sentencing concludes a multiyear effort by law enforcement and civil litigants to hold operators of the GirlsDoPorn enterprise accountable. The website has been defunct since the investigations and litigation began, and federal authorities have said they will continue to pursue related leads and any parties involved in recruiting and exploiting victims.