The Region - News from Aug. 22, 1986

Federal prosecutors have taken over the investigation of hard-core pornography films and videotapes starring Traci Lords, who was underage when she made about 75 of them. A spokesman for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner said the case was referred to the U.S. attorney because it transcends state lines and because under federal law, it only has to be proved that she was under 18 when the films were made. Under state law, he said, prosecutors would have to prove that those who hired her knew she was under 18. Meanwhile, Douglas Harrison Knapp, 37, an unemployed Marina del Rey laborer, was arrested after he allegedly sold 18 Traci Lords videos to an undercover vice officer for $1,000. He faces a possible sentence of one year in jail, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said.