Joe Francis sentenced to nearly a year in jail

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles judge has sentenced "Girls Gone Wild" franchise founder Joe Francis to 270 days in the county jail, TMZ reported Tuesday.

Francis was also sentenced to 36 months probation upon his release from jail. He was ordered to complete an anger management course and undergo a year of psychological counseling, as well, the celebrity news website said.

Francis was found guilty in May 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 into 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 for a party and, they said, wouldn't let them leave, leading to physical altercations with the women.