CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
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“Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis was arrested Monday afternoon after failing to appear for a hearing earlier in the day in a federal tax-evasion case. Francis was taken into custody when he reported to U.S. District Judge S. James Otero’s courtroom about five hours late, according to officials with the U.S. Marshals Service. Last year, a grand jury in Reno accused Francis of two counts of tax evasion. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege Francis claimed about $20 million in allegedly phony business expenses.
-- Andrew Blankstein
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