Joe Francis Was Reportedly Robbed And Almost Kidnapped In Mexico

TMZ is reporting that Joe Francis, creator of Girls Gone Wild, had his own Kim Kardashian moment in Mexico last week. Joe was reportedly tied up, robbed, and nearly kidnapped when five armed men stormed a property he was hanging out in. Apparently the creator of Girls Gone Wild was almost Man Gone Missing.

Joe currently lives in Mexico, which may have to do with the fact that he’s wanted for failing to pay off his gambling debts back in the US. When you’re a deadbeat who may have skipped town to avoid paying people back, things will eventually catch up to you. And it sounds like it finally did. Except it didn’t happen at his house. TMZ says that on October 16th, at least five armed men stormed Joe’s neighbor’s place in Punta Mita, where he was hanging out with about 20 other people. Sources say that Joe and the rest of the group – which mostly included the house’s staff – were tied up with wire, where they were then robbed.

The men threatened to take hostages. Instead, they fled the property, where they allegedly got into a scuffle with neighborhood security. Police were notified of the situation after receiving an anonymous call reporting four strange men inside the home. When police arrived at the scene, they found four men fleeing on foot. The police caught one person, but it’s unclear if they were arrested or charged.

According to TMZ’s sources, those alleged home invaders probably weren’t kidding when they threatened to take hostages. The sources say that everyone inside that was tied up with wire believed the alleged crew planned to kidnap them. Military personnel also responded to the home, and they found discarded guns and masks on a nearby property.

This isn’t Joe’s first home robbery experience. In 2004, a man broke into Joe’s home and filmed a blackmail video at the alleged orders of the mob. The man was eventually caught, and pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted extortion (charges for burglary, kidnapping for ransom and carjacking were dropped).

It’s still not known what motivated those armed assailants to flee the scene without taking a hostage. Police didn’t arrive until they had left the property, so it’s not like they heard sirens and split. My guess is they left when they realized how pointless it would be to take Joe Francis hostage.

“Hello, we are the men who have kidnapped Joe Francis. We promise his safe return in exchange for $1 million.”

“Yeah no, we’re good. You can keep him.”

Pic: Wenn.com