Judge refuses to dismiss porn charges

TAMPA, Fla., June 3 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Florida declined Tuesday to dismiss some of the charges against a producer of pornographic movies.

But U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew said that if Paul Little, who uses the business name Max Hardcore, is convicted of sending obscene material by U.S. mail she might throw out the convictions, the Tampa Tribune reported. Little's lawyers argued that prosecutors did not prove he knew his distributor was sending material through the mail.

Five of the 10 counts Little is charged with involve use of the U.S. mails.

Defense lawyers began putting on their case Tuesday. A psychologist testified about groups of people who are turned on by sexual activity involving vomiting or urination, and a private investigator said he had purchased material in the Tampa area as raw as anything Little produced.

On Monday, a former porn actress who used the name Summer Luv when she worked for Little described him as a reasonable employer. Melissa Nicoletti said he was more organized than other producers and "a lot better" boss.