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 PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis pleaded no contest to child abuse and prostitution charges Wednesday under an agreement that allowed him to walk free after nearly a year in jail.
Francis, 34, returned to Florida after posting a $1.5 million bond this week in Nevada, where he is accused of tax fraud. The hearing in Bay County state court resolved a 2003 criminal case involving the filming of underaged girls during spring break on Panama City Beach.
"I have never committed any crime. I pleaded guilty just to get out of jail," a defiant Francis said after the hearing. "A few corrupt individuals were able to keep an innocent man in jail for 11 months."
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