'Girls Gone Wild' creator convicted of assault, false imprisonment

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LOS ANGELES, May 7 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles jury has convicted "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis of assault and false imprisonment, officials said.

Francis, 40, faces up to five years in Los Angeles County jail when he is sentenced Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

He was found guilty after a two-week trial of three counts of false imprisonment, one count of dissuading a witness from reporting and one count of assault causing great bodily injury.

The charges stem from a Jan. 29, 2011, incident, in which Francis grabbed a woman he met at the Supper Club in Hollywood and pulled her in to his limo. Two of her friends followed, thinking Francis would give them a ride to their car, but instead he took them to his gated home and wouldn't let them leave, leading to physical altercations with the women, the Times said.