"Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis' wife wants the world to know the former couple's daughters are A-OK despite recent claims from Joe they'd been kidnapped and missed celebrating Christmas with him.
Abbey Wilson posted a pic smiling with Athena and Alexandria Thursday with the caption, "Buenos Dias." While the pic might seem innocent on it's face ... there's clearly a message Abbey wants to convey, the girl's are just fine.
TMZ broke the story ... legal docs claimed Abbey had ignored court orders to let Joe see his daughters, and had seemingly disappeared -- ignoring attempts to make contact.
In legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Joe says he was supposed to have the kids for Christmas and accused Abbey of family violence.
For her part, Abbey's attorney, Ronald Richards, tells us she was not charged with kidnapping -- despite what other sources said -- and simply hasn't disappeared. Richards also claimed it was Joe who was the one who was verbally and physically abusive, and hadn't paid child support in over a year.
9:55 AM PT -- The lawyer for Abbey Wilson, Ronald Richards, tells TMZ, his client is not missing, and says she has full, temporary custody of her children. Richards goes on to claim Joe has been physically and verbally abusive to Abbey and has not provided any financial support in more than a year. The lawyer says Abbey has not been charged with kidnapping.
Joe Francis claims his daughters have not been seen in over a week, and now their mother is facing a kidnapping charge south of the border.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the girls' mother, Abbey Wilson, has been ignoring court orders to let Joe see their twin daughters and the trio has fallen off the grid.
Remember ... Joe has a huge estate in Mexico and his daughters were born back in 2014 near Puerto Vallarta.
In the docs, Joe claims he was supposed to have the girls on Christmas but the mother never showed up with them on his doorstep ... and the kids haven't been seen in 10 days.
According to the docs, Abbey is also accused of family violence ... and authorities have been unable to serve her with legal papers as they can't find her ... because she hasn't been living at her listed address for at least 6 months.
In the docs, Joe claims Abbey and the kids are actually living with another man.
Our sources tell us Abbey is being charged with kidnapping, and an amber alert is about to be issued.
It's a lot of family drama ... especially around the holidays.
Joe Francis is dropping more than a million bucks to repair his beachfront estate in Mexico after a fire destroyed a large portion of it ... and it looks like it's going to be better than ever.
Sources familiar tell TMZ ... Joe's been rebuilding his famed Casa Aramara since the June blaze, and hopes to have it completed in around 7 weeks.
TMZ.com
Twenty percent of the "Girls Gone Wild" founder's property was destroyed in the fire -- including the living and dining room in the main house, along with 3 bedrooms out of 15 -- so the cost for repairs has added up.
Our sources say the Casa's rebuild will include a new fire protection system that includes fire retardant chemicals, 30 concealed sprinklers in every room and a backup system. Joe feels fire officials in Mexico can't be relied upon, so he's becoming self-reliant.
We broke the story ... Joe's oceanside estate in Punta Mita partially burned down in mid-June. Our sources say the official report found the fire was caused by an electrical issue with the air conditioning.
Joe Francis was nearly taken in Mexico when several men with guns busted into a home, took everyone's money ... and attempted to kidnap Joe and a group of friends.
Sources close to the "Girls Gone Wild" founder tell TMZ ... he was at the home of one of his neighbors in Punta Mita on October 16 -- with about 20 other people -- when at least 5 armed men stormed in, threatening to take hostages.
We're told Joe and the others, mostly staff working at the house, were tied up with wire and robbed. Our sources say shortly after this, neighborhood security had a scuffle with the gunmen, who fled the area ... until police spotted them.
Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops got an anonymous call that morning from another residence near Joe's, claiming 4 suspicious-looking people were spotted inside the home.
We're told 2 patrol cars with armed officers were sent to the scene and found 4 people making a run for it. Cops gave chase, but 3 of the 4 perps got away. It's unclear if the captured suspect was arrested or charged yet.
Our sources say military personnel also responded to the incident, and discarded guns and masks were discovered at nearby property. We're told the robbery victims believed the assailants planned to kidnap them.
We reached out to Francis ... so far, no word back.
Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson stuck out like a sore thumb (or a green thumb?) this weekend in Mexico -- partly due to wardrobe ... not to mention the company they kept.
The two parents were partying at La Santa nightclub in Puerto Vallarta -- sans True, of course -- very early Saturday morning, where Khloe wore a bright green highlighter dress ... and Tristan stood at his usual 6'9". Safe to say, you couldn't miss 'em if you were there.
Speaking of which ... one guy who definitely didn't pass up a chance to chat the couple up was 'Girls Gone Wild' founder Joe Francis. He was hanging out as well.
The Kardashians -- and tons of other celebs -- have been known to frequent Joe's nearby Punta Mita oceanfront estate. He reportedly hit a snag last year though after a judge ruled he couldn't profit off the property anymore due to alleged fraudulent activity ... but Joe's refuted that saying "It is business as usual at Casa Aramara in Punta Mita Mexico."
SNAPCHAT | via Khloé Kardashian : Khloé and Tristan Having fun in nightclub (August 11, 2018) pic.twitter.com/BYttrDuUR5
Retired "Girls Gone Wild" owner Joe Francis and his girlfriend just gave birth to twin Mexican girls -- well, technically, since she gave birth in Mexico -- and the newborn babes already have a fairy godmother -- Kris Jenner.
Joe's partner, Abbey, delivered two healthy girls -- Alexandria Claire and Athena Olivia -- Tuesday at a hospital in Puerto Vallarta ... and since they were born in Mexico, they're automatically given Mexican citizenship.
Sources close to the family tell us ... the babies are already being showered with gifts ... including pink Hermes blankets and Hermes clothing courtesy of Kris Jenner and the Kardashians.
The couple -- who live in Punta Mita -- conceived the girls through in vitro fertilization -- which can allow parents to choose the sex and other characteristics of their child. Francis said they chose IVF to make sure their babies were healthy and free of genetic illnesses.
Joe Francis is now facing 7 misdemeanor counts for his alleged attack at "Girls Gone Wild" headquarters, and a judge has issued a warrant for his arrest.
TMZ broke the story ... Joe got busted back in May after scrapping with a security guard and a 'GGW' employee at his old office. He was also hauled in for violating a restraining order that required him to stay away from the building.
Now prosecutors have charged Joe with 1 count of criminal threats, 2 counts trespassing, 1 count of battery, and 3 counts of disobeying a court order.
According to a source close to Joe ... he actually called cops the night of the arrest, because he says the security guard attacked HIM. We're told there is surveillance video to support Joe's claim.
As for the restraining order, Joe believed 'GGW' had moved out of the building ... so he felt the order no longer applied. Plus, we're told he had only gone there to pick up belongings from his old office.
Joe Francis was arrested Friday for allegedly attacking an employee at his old stomping ground -- the offices of "Girls Gone Wild."
Apparently Joe felt like reminiscing ... so he showed up at the L.A. offices Friday night. Problem is -- there's a restraining order prohibiting him from coming within 100 feet of the building.
Joe didn't care, and made his way up to the 10th floor where he got into it with a security guard ... according to law enforcement sources.
Security called the cops as a GGW employee tried to block Joe in the offices. The employee says Joe shoved him, and that triggered a citizen's arrest.
Cops took Joe to the station where he was booked for misdemeanor battery and released.
He's got another problem. There will almost certainly be a court hearing where Joe could be held in contempt for violating the restraining order, and that could mean time in the slammer.
Francis tells us the person he got into it with is the new owner of GGW and says the guy has a "business vendetta" against him.
Francis claims he had every right to be there because the restraining order is no longer active ... and also claims the security guard "manhandled" his pregnant wife.
We got him on the way out of jail ... but at the time, he clearly wasn't in the talking mood.
Joe Francis is on the attack ... claiming Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn is poaching Joe's GIGANTIC porn company, Girls Gone Wild, just so he can dismantle it ... and it's all out of revenge.
TMZ broke the story ... GGW is in bankruptcy and the trustee engineered the sale to satisfy Joe's debts.
Someone came along and anonymously tried swooping GGW up, and Joe says it's his archenemy, Steve Wynn.
Joe believes Wynn continues to harbor a grudge -- Wynn sued Joe and got a $20 mil verdict, and a jury concluded Joe defamed Wynn by telling people the mogul hired hit men to kill him.
Joe believes Wynn is behind the purchase of GGW and his intent is to buy it, fire all the employees and then dismantle it.
BestBreastsEver.com ... MardiGrasInvasion.net ... SpringBreakExplosion.com ... WeddingSubmissionVideo.com -- all these domain names and more are FOR SALE ... thanks to the "Girls Gone Wild" bankruptcy fiasco ... and some dumbass has already bid millions.
GGW filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year -- and it's now selling off assets to pay off its multi-million-dollar debts ... assets that include a laundry list of ludicrous domain names associated with the soft core porn brand. Here are a few more examples:
-- BannedFromTV.com -- HottestMomentsEver.com -- MyExGFClub.com -- SexStarvedCollegeGirls.net -- And practically every other GGW-themed name you can think of (GirlsGoneWild.com, GGWbus.com, GGWcams.com, GGWdating.com, GGWmagazine.com ... you get the point)
All told, 69 domain names are on the auction block ... a convenient number.
So far, a third party company called GGW Acquisitions has already placed an offer to acquire the assets -- a deal that includes $1.8 million in cash and a promise to take on some of GGW's old debt -- but others can still outbid it.
It's unclear who's behind the company, but sources tell TMZ, it is NOT affiliated with Joe Francis or anyone at the original GGW.
"Girls Gone Wild" honcho Joe Francis wasn't kidding when he promised to save his ridiculous Bel Air mansion from foreclosure -- he actually pulled it off.
We broke the story, Joe's bank, JPMorgan Chase, began foreclosure proceedings back in September, claiming he slacked off on mortgage payments to the tune of $127,686.91.
Joe pleaded the problem was with his accountant, not him.
Well guess what -- we just got official docs revealing the bank has backed off the foreclosure.
Joe tells us -- his accountant acknowledged the screw up and made the account current ... so everyone's happy.
It's a ray of good financial news in a bleak financial forecast.-- Joe's company declared bankruptcy in February, and he's personally been ordered to pay Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn $19 million.
Joe Francis tells TMZ, his 270-day jail sentence for assault and false imprisonment is "ridiculous" and "absurd" ... and he won't rest until it's thrown out.
As we reported, Francis was sentenced Tuesday for assaulting a woman at his home in 2011 and falsely imprisoning her friends, but on his way out of jail moments ago ... he still insisted, "I'm one hundred percent innocent."
Francis says he has appealed the jail sentence, which means he won't have to turn himself in until a judge shoots down his request ... which could theoretically take years.
But Francis says it's a non-issue anyway ... because he's still sure he'll emerge victorious in the end.
10:51 AM PT -- Joe has just been sentenced to JAIL.
According to our count, Joe has been ordered to serve at least 270 DAYS in county jail.
He's also been sentenced to 36 months probation and has been ordered to complete a Level 3 Anger Management course.
He's also been ordered to complete 1 year of psychological counseling at a rate of 1 session per week.
During the sentencing, the judge expressed serious concerns with Joe's explosive temper -- and warned that it could get him in trouble in the future unless he learns how to keep his cool.
Bond will be set at $250k.
Joe is currently being handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.
10:31 AM PT -- Joe's lawyer is begging the court for mercy.
10:29 AM PT -- Joe's motion for a re-trial has been SHOT DOWN. Now on to sentencing ...
9:53 AM PT -- Joe's lawyer is calling BS on the accusers -- claiming he can now prove the women lied during the trial, and therefore Joe deserves another chance to prove his innocence.
Among Joe's arguments -- he claims the women's story about not having cell phone reception at Joe's mansion are untrue ... and they have the phone records to prove it.
Joe also claims an accuser's story that she was "choke slammed" on Joe's tile floor is impossible because he doesn't have tile anywhere in the house.
9:40 AM PT -- The hearing has begun. Due to courtroom rules for this particular hearing, we will only be livestreaming the audio.
8:57 AM PT -- Francis is inside the courtroom, waiting for his case to be called.
8:50 AM PT -- Francis just arrived at the courthouse with his girlfriend Abbey Wilson. She's hot.
8:41 AM PT -- We're told Francis is on his way to the court -- and should arrive momentarily.
It's D-Day for Joe Francis ... the day the "Girls Gone Wild" mogul will learn his sentence for attacking a woman at his Hollywood mansion back in 2011 ... and he's facing serious time behind bars.
TMZ will be streaming live from inside the L.A. courtroom when Joe faces the judge later today. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 8:30 AM PT.
As we previously reported, 3 women had accused Joe of taking them to his Hollywood home -- following a night out -- and refusing to let them leave. He was also accused of attacking one of the women, choke-slamming her head into his tile floor.
Francis was convicted on 5 charges total, including assault, 3 counts of false imprisonment, and 1 count of dissuading a witness from reporting.
Never one to go down without a fight -- Francis recently filed court docs demanding a new trial based on allegations of insufficient evidence. We'll see if the judge buys his argument when the hearing begins.
Joe Francis is spending his days down in Mexico with a brand new friend he can rent by the hour ... a 600 lb SEA LION ... and TMZ's got the pics.
The "Girls Gone Wild" honcho tells TMZ ... he rents a Sea Lion named "Litibu" once a week from Vallarta Adventures to hang out with him and his GF Abbey Wilson at his casa near Puerta Vallarta.
It's pretty incredible ... he says the 11-year-old mammal is so well trained he arrives via boat ... swims up to the beach ... walks to Joe's backyard ... and then dives straight into his pool.
Not only that, Joe says Litibu has a slew of tricks up his blubber ... he can do handstands, give kisses, stand and clap, roar on command and lets Joe and Abbey take rides on his back in the pool.
Our only request ... please no Sea Lion vs. Hot Naked Chicks tapes.
Joe Francis and his hot blonde GF can't thank Steve Hirsch enough for snatching their sex tape off the market -- in fact, Joe's GF has even sent the Vivid honcho a thank-you letter, gushing about how Steve kept her private parts ... private.
TMZ has obtained a copy of the letter Abbey Wilson sent to Hirsch. Here's the transcript:
Steve,
Joe has always said what a stand up guy you are in business and what a great friend you are. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping Joe and I out in this unfortunate situation. It's calming to know that we have such a loyal, true friend when an unexpected problem arises. You are a compassionate, warm hearted, and caring man that we are so grateful to have in our lives.
Thank you again, Abbey Wilson
As we reported, a sex tape featuring Wilson and the "Girls Gone Wild" honcho was being shopped to various media outlets. Francis had threatened to sue everyone and their mother over the tape, claiming it was stolen from Wilson's iPad.
When the person selling the tape went to Vivid, Hirsch did Francis a solid and purchased it (for an unknown sum). He then returned the footage to Francis and promised never to release it.
It was an especially big deal for Abbey and Francis ... because neither has ever appeared naked on the Internet (shocking, we know).
