U.S. Attorney’s Office – Southern District of California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Diego, CA – Michael Pratt, the founder and operator of the pornographic website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty today in federal court to sex trafficking charges related to a years-long scheme that used deception and coercion to recruit young women into pornography.
Pratt, 42, had been a fugitive since mid-2019 after liquidating his assets and fleeing the United States. He was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and remained at large for over three years until his arrest in Spain in December 2022. He was extradited to the United States in March 2024.
In his plea agreement, Pratt admitted guilt to Count One (conspiracy to commit sex trafficking between 2012 and 2019) and Count Two (sex trafficking of an individual victim in May 2012).
Key Admissions
According to court filings, Pratt acknowledged that he conceived and ran GirlsDoPorn, a website that featured women—often in their late teens—performing in their first pornographic videos. He was directly involved in recruiting, filming, and managing operations.
To lure women into performing, Pratt and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that the videos would never be shared online or seen in the United States. These assurances were knowingly false. Videos were later posted to GirlsDoPorn, its affiliate GirlsDoToys, and major free porn sites such as Pornhub, where they received millions of views. The sites generated millions of dollars in revenue.
Recruitment tactics included:
- Fake job postings under names like “Bubblegum Casting” and “Begin Modeling.”
- False promises that identities would remain confidential.
- Use of “Reference Girls”—women paid to convince others to participate by reinforcing the lies.
Pratt and co-defendants intentionally concealed their involvement with GirlsDoPorn and used deceptive contracts that victims were rushed to sign and were not allowed to keep. Videos were typically filmed in hotels or rental properties around San Diego.
When women expressed hesitation or tried to back out, they were threatened with lawsuits, canceled travel arrangements, or having their videos released online. Some victims were publicly exposed when their personal information was shared on porn-related doxxing sites.
Victim 1
Pratt also admitted to personally trafficking an 18-year-old woman in May 2012, referred to in court as Victim 1. He used the alias “Matt” and responded to her inquiry about a modeling ad. Despite initial reluctance, Victim 1 was persuaded by a Reference Girl to fly to San Diego, where Pratt filmed her in a sex video. She was misled about the nature and distribution of the footage, rushed through a contract, and paid $2,000. The video was posted online nine months later despite her pleas to remove it.
Co-Conspirators and Sentencing
Several members of Pratt’s operation have already been sentenced:
- Ruben Andre Garcia (36): Sentenced to 20 years in prison (June 2021)
- Matthew Wolfe (43): Sentenced to 14 years in prison (March 2024)
- Theodore Gyi (47): Sentenced to 4 years in prison (November 2022)
- Valorie Moser (42): Sentencing scheduled for September 12, 2025
Michael Pratt is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
Charges and Penalties
- Sex Trafficking Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 1594): Up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine
- Sex Trafficking (18 U.S.C. § 1591): Mandatory minimum of 15 years; maximum life imprisonment and $250,000 fine
Investigating Agency
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The charges and allegations referenced in court documents are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
